Is This Extra Credit?
by Threwmycoffeeforyou
Summary: Brittany finds herself intrigued by Officer Lopez during a required ride-along. See how their story unfolds as they get to know each other. Also heavily involved in this story are Quinn, Rachel, Sam, Puck, Tina, and of course Beth :
1. Chapter 1

**Is This Extra Credit?**

**_Plot_**_**: **_A student becomes intrigued by a certain Latina police officer after a class-required ride-along. Rachel, Sam, and Brittany moved out to California to attend USC. This is the story of how their lives are intermingled with the likes of Santana, Puck, and Quinn.

**Disclaimer:** This story includes many characters from the show along with a few that I created for the story. I do not own any characters from Glee, nor do I own any references that may be used to develop this story.

**Check out my other story, ****Backlash****, it is a sex-filled Brittana/Faberry prank war!**

**Chapter 1**

It was the first day of fall term at the University of Southern California and with a new year meant new opportunities. At least that's what Brittany Pierce thought as she stepped into a full classroom, glancing around the room nervously. She looked for a familiar face but found none in the group of about 40 students already seated in the rows of long tables. She noticed an empty seat in the middle of the third row, between a pretty blonde girl and a lanky boy who was completely fixated on his Pottermore account on his laptop. Not seeing any other choices around the classroom, Brittany maneuvered her way through the clustered row, knocking a few in the head with her backpack.

"Sorry," Brittany apologized, settling down in the empty seat. She glanced back at the classmates she had accidently hit and saw their glares directed in her direction. She rolled her eyes and pulled a notebook from her bag.

"Hi, I'm Quinn," the girl next to her introduced. Her hand was extended towards Brittany, a radiant smile on her face.

"Brittany, it's nice to meet you," she responded, shaking her hand. "Is this your first criminal justice class?"

"Yeah, I just got back into school, I had taken a break for a while after high school," Quinn stated, glad to have met a nice classmate. "What about you?"

"Yeah, I switched majors after I received my associate's degree," Brittany told her. "I was going to school for dance, but I didn't enjoy it much. I think I'll like this field though."

Quinn smiled at her and directed her attention towards the front of the class as their professor walked into the classroom. Their professor donned a police uniform, fully equipped with a gun, taser, and handcuffs. She looked like she was in her mid-twenties, which surprised Brittany. All of her other teachers had been well into their 40's.

"Hello class, my name is Alexis Robertson. Welcome to Intro to Criminology," Alexis introduced. "This is going to be a great semester, I know many of you are just starting out in the field of Criminal Justice, so we are gonna try and get as much hands-on experience as possible in the short time we have." Reaching into her bag, Alexis pulled out a large stack of papers. She walked over to the student in the first row and handed them the stack. "Everyone be sure to grab a syllabus. All the important dates, including exams and presentations are listed."

Brittany took the dwindling stack from the Potter kid and handed it to Quinn once she grabbed one for herself. She scanned through it, noting the book she needed and the main exam dates. Looking at the grade percentage breakdown, she raised her eyebrow at the project percentage. "50 percent of our grade is based on projects," Brittany whispered to Quinn.

"Wow, that's a little much," Quinn observed.

"Ok, so as you see, we have two exams, worth 30 percent of your final grade," Alexis explained. "20 percent is attendance and participation combined and 50 percent will come from projects." She noticed a hand quickly shooting into the air. "Yes, your name is?"

Brittany smiled shyly and pulled her hand down. "I'm Brittany, Pierce. I was just wondering what the projects will consist of."

"Thank you, Brittany. Well, as I had mentioned earlier, I want this class to have many opportunities for hands-on experience. The beauty of criminal justice studies is the off-campus learning and interactions. How will anyone ever learn what it takes to be involved with the law if they only read from the book and sit in a boring classroom?" She asked, looking around the room at her students.

"Hell, I graduated a few years ago. I know how boring it was. So, instead…" she smiled. "…we will be going on some field trips. We will be scheduling various things, like full-shift rides with officers with the LAPD, spending some time observing public court cases, and visiting various prisons and jails in the state."

Brittany smiled at Quinn, whispering how cool this class was going to be. She couldn't wait to do everything. It all sounded so much better than studying the book all the time.

"So, I'm sure sitting in class for the next three hours on a Monday morning isn't ideal," Alexis announced as she looked at her phone. "It's currently 8:15, so I'm gonna be nice and let you all go. If anyone has any questions, feel free! See you guys Wednesday."

Brittany watched as many of the students rushed out of the classroom, most likely heading back to bed. She stayed behind and approached her professor. Quinn followed with her belongings in tow.

"Hey Quinn, how's it going?" Alexis greeted with a hug. Brittany scrunched her eyebrows. Quinn didn't acknowledge that she knew their teacher.

"It's great. It feels so good to be back in school," Quinn beamed. "How's teaching, you sound like a pro up there!"

"It's a little nerve racking actually, but I think everything will go great," Alexis shrugged. "So, Brittany, do you think my teaching abilities are ok?"

"Oh, um…yeah," Brittany replied nervously. "I'm really excited about this class. It sounds like it is going to be all kinds of amazing." Alexis smiled, satisfied with the answer. She excused herself when her phone rang.

"So, Brittany, you wanna go get some coffee?" Quinn asked her.

"Sure, I have time to kill now that class is over," Brittany laughed, pulling her class materials back into her bag and flinging her bag over her shoulders.

"Awesome," Quinn smiled. "I think we are going to get along great."

/

Santana Lopez awoke to a large crashing sound. Pulling her gun out of her nightstand, she stepped onto her hardwood floor and approached the direction of the noise. Clad in only a short tank top and barely there panties, Santana pulled open the door of her bedroom and held her gun out in front of her. She held her breath as she approached the kitchen. Turning the corner, she quickly screamed out at her assailant.

"Get your hands up, now!"

Taking a long look at the intruder, Santana rolled her eyes and pulled her gun down. "Damn it Puck, what are you doing here?"

"I needed some milk for cereal," Puck simply stated, unfazed by her approach. "You look nice," he said mockingly.

"Thanks, dick. It's seven in the morning," she whined. He shrugged. "Some people like sleep."

"Well you are up now, you should just hang out," Puck laughed as he poured milk into the cereal he brought over. She wondered sometimes why she agreed to move in the same building as him, or why she allowed him to have a key.

"Yeah, sure, let me just go and change," Santana told him, walking back towards her bedroom.

"You can wear that, it's totally hot," he called out after her, making her flip him off before stepping into her bedroom.

She groaned at her appearance in the mirror. She looked like complete crap. _Ha! _Who was she kidding? She was smoking hot, no matter how tired she felt. Grabbing a pair of faded jeans and a property of LAPD t-shirt, Santana walked into her bathroom and tossed her clothes onto the counter. She quickly brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her long, dark hair before pulling it into a loose ponytail. Her left hand brushed above her hip bone as she pulled her jeans on. She looked down and saw the faded scar on her abdomen. She thought back to the day she got that scar.

**Six Months Ago**

_Santana and Puck had taken a call close to 12:30 in the morning in West L.A. Their shifts would be over at 2, so they groaned when they received the call. _

"_Assault with a deadly weapon, 6000 S Vermont Ave, white male, donned in black," dispatch described to them. _

"_We're on it, 10-4." Puck responded back, shifting the car and pulling onto the road. "So, Lopez, what's the deal with the TV station chick…you hitting that?"_

_Santana rolled her eyes. "None of your business Puckerman."_

"_C'mon, I always tell you my stories," he whined._

"_Not my choice," Santana laughed. "Besides, you shouldn't live vicariously through my sex life. What's going on with you and Quinn lately?" she asked seriously._

"_We are focused on raising Beth. It's not meant to be for us though, we both acknowledge that," Puck told her, seemingly ok with living with his ex-girlfriend as they raised their 4 year old. _

"_I'm never having kids," Santana groaned. "Too complicated."_

"_Nah, Beth is perfect." Puck smiled. Santana noticed the way his eyes lit up at the mention of his daughter. She knew how much he adored his daughter and how grateful he was for her._

_They pulled up a half block away from the scene of the incident and Puck parked the car. They both drew their guns and rushed out of the car. Puck led the way towards the rundown laundry center and scanned the area. Besides a few bums sitting in their trash piles, he didn't see anyone out of the ordinary. _

_Santana turned towards the small shopping plaza and noticed a dark shadow under the pavilion area. She motioned to Puck and started heading towards the plaza. Puck quickly stepped ahead of her and approached the walkway towards the dark shadow._

"_Come on out, we have you cornered buddy," Puck demanded. "There's nowhere to go."_

_A man stepped out of the shadow slowly with his arms raised, a bag in one hand and a gun in the other._

"_Put the gun down," Santana barked. The man lowered his arm to drop the gun and aimed it towards her at the last second._

"_No!" Puck yelled as the trigger was pulled, a bullet knocking Santana on her back. He pointed his gun towards the shooter and shot him twice, once in the leg and once in the shoulder. The man fell to the ground in agony. Puck quickly handcuffed the man and rushed over to Santana. _

"_We need an ambulance! Officer down, shot to abdomen. We are at the reported location. Shooter down and cuffed," Puck yelled through his radio and turned his attention to Santana. "Santana, hey, open your eyes, San," he begged as he put pressure where she was shot. "Dude, you're gonna be ok, you hear me?" _

_Santana nodded lightly as her eyelids fell shut._

**End of Flashback**

She was grateful Puck was her partner that night, he saved her life. She didn't know what she would do without him. Even if he bugged her endlessly, she loved the man like he was her brother.

"Lopez, come on!" Puck yelled from the kitchen. She rolled her eyes and pulled the shirt over her head before exiting the bathroom. Stepping back into the kitchen she smiled brightly at the angel sitting at the table.

"Beth!" she exclaimed, pulling her favorite girl into her arms.

"Hey Tana, I missed you!" Beth told her before placing a kiss to her cheek.

"I've missed you too, kid," Santana laughed, not noticing Puck's scoff. Puck knew she was a big softie at heart and was lying about not wanting kids.

"I had so much fun at Grandma Judy's house this weekend!"Beth told her. "We went to the carnival. And then we saw the ducks at the big lake!"

"Wow, the ducks. I love ducks," Santana muttered sarcastically. Last time she had watched Beth, they had gone to the park and the tiny yet authoritative four year old insisted they feed the ducks. A loaf of bread and a whole lot of bites later, Santana finally managed to bribe Beth to leave, offering her ice cream.

"Beth, what do you want for breakfast, baby?" Puck asked lovingly. Santana couldn't help but grin.

"Hmm…I want…pancakes!" She told him, batting her little eyelashes. _She definitely learned that from Quinn_, Santana thought to herself.

"You got it," Puck said, grabbing the necessary ingredients to make her breakfast.

"Yeah sure, go ahead use my kitchen," Santana joked, winking at Beth. "Where's Quinn anyways?"

"She's starting her class today, 8am. The one with Alexis," he said wiggling his eyebrows.

"She's so not into you, you dork," Santana quipped.

"She will be, she just hasn't seen what she's been missing yet," he flexed his arms mockingly.

Santana whispered into Beth's ear. "I think she has daddy," Beth repeated, confused as to what the statement meant.

"Ha Ha, using my kid," he said as he poured pancake batter into the pan. "Get your own."

Santana smiled at him. She was about to respond when her phone rang. "Lopez…" Walking away from the kitchen, she asked who was calling.

"It's Ashley, duh babe."

"Hey, sorry, I didn't check the caller id. What's up?"

"Just wanted to see if you maybe wanted to get together later?" Ashley asked, causing Santana to inwardly groan. This was the third day in a row she had asked. She didn't really feel like spending time with her.

"Well, I've got to babysit tonight. I promised I'd watch Beth," Santana lied.

"Oh, darn babe, I wanted to see you," Ashley whined.

"Me too," Santana said, attempting to sound upset about it. "Another night."

"I'm gonna hold you to that. Bye babe."

Santana hung up without responding and walked back into the kitchen. She looked at the clock on the stove. _7:40am. _

"So, Beth, it's your last day before going into kindergarten!" Santana gasped dramatically. "When did you get so smart to start early?"

"I am super smart," Beth contended seriously, causing both Puck and Santana to widen their eyes at the confidence. Beth ignored them and ate her pancakes.

"You are definitely Quinn's kid," Santana said leaning down to give her a big hug. "I don't know about your daddy though," she smirked. "He's goofy."

"No I'm not," Puck pouted.

"Right...so Beth, let's go do something fun!" Santana suggested. "Anything you want!"

"Anything?" Beth asked mischievously.

Santana gulped. _No ducks, no ducks, _she begged. "Yep, anything you want."

"Let's go…" she trailed on as she thought. "Let's go to the museum! And then let's go watch Lion King!"

Santana looked over to Puck for help. He held his hands up and shrugged. "You said anything!" he laughed.

"Right, well let's go, kid," Santana said tossing Puck a dirty look. "See you at work."

Beth smiled widely as she took Santana's hand as they walked out of her apartment. _I'd rather visit the ducks,_ she thought grudgingly.

/

**Let me know what you think so far…will continue tomorrow :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, so I thank you guys for the support on this story. It's only been posted a little longer than a day and it's doing really well, much better in the review department than my other story. *BACKLASH* THANKS! (**_**also, I am not actually from Cali, so please forgive me if I am way off with any descriptions; I am using maps and crime statistics to help further the story**_**) **

**(Edit: I was half-asleep when i wrote this so i totally forgot i sent Beth to Judy's house to visit and then killed her this chapter so i took that part out. Judy is still alive haha thanks to the person who pointed it out!)  
><strong>

**Chapter 2**

Quinn and Brittany spent close to two hours at the Ground Zero Coffee House getting to know each other. Brittany had learned that Quinn had spent most of her life living in California with her mother. Her father had cheated on his wife and once Judy had found out, she had taken a four year old Quinn out of the house and filed for divorce. She moved out to California from Arizona and had gotten a job at a law firm. Quinn beamed whenever she spoke of her mother. She was her rock.

She also learned that when Quinn was only nineteen, she had a child with her now ex-boyfriend, Puck. Quinn mentioned that she should meet Beth one day, that her daughter loved meeting new people. Brittany smiled at the thought. She thought Quinn was a very nice person and looked forward to seeing more of the girl.

In return, Quinn learned that Brittany spent most of her childhood living in Lima, Ohio with her parents and younger sister, Melanie. Brittany told her about high school and how she had been part of the nationally acclaimed cheerleading squad, the Cheerios, and a member of their high school glee club. When Quinn asked what brought her to California, Brittany told her about her two best friends, Rachel and Sam getting great scholarships to come to USC and how she couldn't bear going to school without them.

Quinn had received a phone call from her best friend, and excused herself to take the call. Brittany responded to a text that Rachel had sent twenty minutes ago about meeting for a lunch with Sam. She told them she'd meet them in twenty minutes.

Quinn came back and apologized to Brittany, telling her that she had to go, but wrote down her number before she left. Brittany waved goodbye and headed to the Pizza Hut down the road from Park Campus. She noticed Sam and Rachel sitting down at a booth in the corner, so she made her way towards them.

"Hey guys," Brittany greeted.

Sam shifted to the end of the booth for Brittany to sit. "So Brittany how was your first class?" He asked as she sat down.

"Well class let out really early, so it went pretty well," she answered. "I have another class at 2. What about you guys, when are your first classes?"

"I don't start until tomorrow," Rachel told her. "Sam?"

"I have two classes this afternoon before football practice," he told them. "I've heard my teachers are pretty nice, which is good considering I'll find out soon if I'm starting at quarterback." He took a sip of his coke.

"I hope you start, that would be awesome!" Brittany smiled. She was proud of her friend.

Sam had competed for three years for the quarterback position at McKinley High School. Rachel's ex-boyfriend, Finn Hudson was the starting quarterback their freshman year, but Sam had taken over the reins early in the season when Finn got hurt. After a few winning games, Sam was officially named starter, even after Finn healed. Every season after, the fight for starter had gotten worse. Sam always won out and eventually received a scholarship to play at USC while Finn decided to stay in Lima to play in junior college.

"Rachel, have you heard about the auditions for the fall theater festival?" Sam asked. Rachel nodded.

"Of course, I cannot wait to display my talents. I've decided this year I would audition with a tribute to West Side Story and my lifelong inspiration, Maria," she said smiling. Brittany rolled her eyes at her best friend. She was definitely star crazy.

She had met Rachel in the second grade. Rachel, Sam and Finn were in her class and immediately their group came together. Rachel not only loved the arts, Rachel _was_ the arts. She would spend every moment she could singing, dancing, acting; you name it she does it. When high school rolled around, Rachel had gotten Brittany to join glee club. She knew that Brittany loved to dance and they needed some talent on the team. Brittany forced Sam to join after she heard him singing one day after a football game. With Sam joining, Finn followed in his footsteps to basically try to prove he was better than Sam at something.

"You are going to audition, right Sam?" Brittany asked.

"I don't know, I have to see how much time I will have, I may not be able to."

"There's plenty of time," Rachel assured him. "So Brittany, since you are in a totally different field, how are you liking Criminal Justice so far?"

"It seems interesting. My teacher is so cool," Brittany explained. "She's like really young, and a cop. And she's not making us read the book the whole semester. She wants to do a bunch of stuff outside of the classroom with us."

"That sounds awesome," Sam smiled. "Any of your classmates seem cool?"

"Yeah, Quinn, she was awesome," Brittany told them. "She and I clicked right away. She seems to be a really nice girl. It's definitely a change from all of those snobby dancers."

"Great!" Rachel smiled. She was glad that Brittany had changed her major. She was so unhappy with studying dance that she had almost decided to quit school altogether. Rachel convinced her that there were plenty of other programs she could study and after two hours of searching through the academic catalogs, Brittany decided to switch over to Criminal Justice.

"Yeah, I think it'll be awesome." Brittany smiled biting into a slice of pizza the waitress had set down on the table.

* * *

><p>After hanging out with Brittany, Quinn met up with Santana and Beth at the museum. She only had one class that day, so she was free to spend the rest of the day doing what she loved best- spending time with her daughter.<p>

"Hey San," Quinn greeted as she strolled up to the irritated Latina and her daughter. "And hello to my perfect little angel!"

"Mommy!" Beth cried out and jumped into Quinn's awaiting arms. "Tana and I are having so much fun!"

Quinn kissed her daughter's forehead and glanced back up at Santana. "What are you wearing Santana?" she asked observing the girl's appearance. She was clad in a pink tutu over her jeans, beads around her neck and a weird set of sunglasses framing her face.

"Ask your perfect little angel," Santana groaned, picking at the material around her waist.

"I think she looks pretty," Beth simply told her. Santana rolled her eyes even though neither of the blondes could see it.

"She looks very pretty," Quinn agreed. Santana scoffed at her friend.

"I feel like a clown," Santana pouted.

"Mommy, let's go watch Lion King now!" Beth suggested, dragging her mother away from the entrance of the museum. "You too Tana!"

Santana weakly followed the girls to the parking lot when she received a phone call. She looked at the screen and saw Puck's picture. "Hey, tell me there's SOMETHING to do! You're daughter is driving me insane."

"Well, Sergeant Matthews wants you to come in for a meeting. He said be here by 12." Puck informed her.

Santana looked at her watch, noting she had an hour. "Ok, I'll get changed and head there."

Quinn had gotten Beth buckled in the car when Santana walked over. "You gotta go?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah, I have a meeting with Matthews. Hopefully I'll be off desk work now!"

"Ok, well you get to break it to Beth," Quinn challenged. Santana huffed and opened the door so she could talk to Beth.

"Hey darlin' as much as I would love to go with you and Mommy to see Simba, I have to go to work," Santana told her. "Can we hang out later?"

Beth pursed her lips and looked to the side as if she were thinking about it. "Sure, you owe me buddy."

Santana and Quinn laughed. "I sure do," Santana told her as she gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll bring you a present, ok?"

Beth nodded and Santana smiled at her. Telling Quinn they'd talk after, she got into her car and headed back to her apartment.

She took a quick shower, changed into more presentable clothes and drove to the station. After being shot six months ago, Santana had been assigned to work at a desk correcting paperwork and basically being the office bitch. She couldn't wait to get back into her car.

Santana had attended Carmel High School in Ohio. She was head cheerleader as well as an honor student. She was a lead vocalist for the school's glee club, bringing them to a Nationals championship twice before she graduated. Graduating with honors, Santana had finished many of the prerequisite courses needed to obtain her two-year degree. She chose to attend UCLA and finished her Bachelor's in Criminal Justice as a junior. After graduating, Santana chose to join the Los Angeles Police Department. She joined with a few friends from her classes, but they didn't make it past the academy. When she finished the academy, she was assigned to her own squad car in West L.A, but due to some budget cuts, she was forced to share her car with Noah Puckerman, who had previously worked his way up into the drug and crime unit.

They became great friends right away. He had hit on her, until she finally told him that she was into women, which only made him suggest threesomes. She loved his personality. He reminded her of her older brother who was killed in the war in Afghanistan her sophomore year of high school. She missed her brother deeply and when she had finished high school she begged her parents to let her attend school in California. She wanted to get a fresh start away from her hometown in Ohio. She was constantly reminded of her brother and she felt that wherever she was, people asked about him and how she was coping.

When she arrived at the station, Santana found Puck sitting outside of the Sergeant's office.

"So, do you think I'm getting my car back?" Santana excitedly asked as they waited.

"I sure hope so, I've been miserable on the streets by myself. I need someone to mess with," he joked.

"Lopez, Puckerman, get in here," a voice called from the office. They quickly obeyed and stepped into the office. "I'm sure you are wondering why I asked you here?" Sergeant Matthews asked. They nodded and he continued. "The board has cleared you, Lopez to go back to normal patrol procedures." Santana smiled, grateful to have her life back.

"Thank you sir."

"However, Puckerman, we are letting you keep your car. Lope will be getting her own," Matthews informed.

"Although you have healed, Santana, we still want you to take it easy for a little bit longer." Santana's smile shifted. "So, we are assigning you to specific ride-along duties for four months. Officer Robertson has informed me that she will be assigning projects requiring students to participate in at least one full shift ride until December."

"Will I be the only officer providing them?" Santana asked. She knew Alexis had expected forty or so students to enroll in the class.

"We have 2 other officers that are part of this, one on shift one and one on shift six. Unfortunately being shift three, you may get a large majority of the students," he informed. "You both are free to go."

Santana groaned inwardly, stealing a glance at Puck who looked amused. She kicked his shin when the Sergeant looked down at his paperwork.

"Thank you, I cannot wait to get back on the streets," Santana muttered monotonously as she walked out of the office.

"It won't be so bad San, you may enjoy it," Puck told her. "Look on the bright side, you get your own car and will be back on the streets. And we work the same shift, so you can hang out on our downtime."

"What about the student?" Santana asked, already dreading this "special assignment."

"Bring them with you, they'll have fun."

"Whatever, it's my off day. I'm going to hang out with Quinn and Beth." Santana walked away and called Alexis.

"Hello?"

"Alexis, please tell me why you chose to teach a class. And please, inform me of why you are making all of your students perform ride-alongs," she demanded sarcastically.

"I don't want my students bored. You know how bad those classes were in college. I want them to learn something from me."

"Well, they will learn alright, I will be driving most of them. Sergeant Matthews assigned me to this because he thinks I will get shot up again if I drive on my own," Santana huffed. This day was shit.

"At least you got your car back!" Alexis laughed.

"You and Puck belong together, he said the same thing. Make sure I get the cool students. Bye bitch." Santana hung up and decided on some coffee before heading back to her apartment.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so the <strong>_**shifts **_**(11.5 hours) I mentioned when Santana has a meeting with her Sergeant:**

_**Shift 1- 430am-4pm Shift 2- 730am-7pm Shift 3- 1030am-10pm Shift 4- 130pm-1am**_

_**Shift 5- 430p-4am Shift 6- 730pm-7am**_

**Basically to give you an idea of the hours they will be working. Also keep in mind, many officers work a system where they will work 2 or 3 days and then have 1 or 2 days off again.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for the support. I am having fun writing this story, and I wish I lived in LA so I could give an accurate portrayal of everything. Thanks to **_aku-neko_** and **_SickSister_**specifically for pointing out two very large mistakes to the story haha. (I blame my sleep pattern the past few days) Enjoy :-)**

**Chapter 3**

Santana drove to various stores after her meeting at the station. She had promised Beth a present and she knew the girl would not forget the promise made to her. She also knew that despite the confidence and intelligence Beth had, the four year old was nervous about starting kindergarten, so she had set on a gift that would help Beth's nerves. Santana spent as much time with Beth as she could. She absolutely adored Beth. Quinn and Puck had joked many times about letting her keep their daughter and Santana always told them she would love it.

After Santana finished her Bachelor's degree in the spring of 2009, a few months away from her twenty-first birthday, she decided to join the police academy. She met Puck that November when they became partners. She learned that he had also graduated in 2006, but had decided against college and joined the LAPD at the young age of 18. After the six month academy, and close to three months into his rookie year, Puck learned that his high school sweetheart Quinn was two months pregnant. They were both only 19, but unwilling to have an abortion. So as a result, Quinn decided to push back her college studies so that she could take care of their child. Puck explained that he didn't want Quinn to feel she had to work, so he worked many overtime hours to make sure they would be ok financially.

The extra work had caused strains on their relationship as Puck had gotten into some crazy cases that Quinn feared would one day get him hurt. Quinn gave birth to Beth on August 28, 2007. She relied heavily on her mother's help when Puck had to work. Judy lived relatively close to West Los Angeles, so she eventually insisted Quinn and Beth temporarily move in with her. The idea had bothered Puck tremendously and they quickly decided they should take a break from their relationship, for the sake of their daughter. Quinn brought Beth with her to her mother's house and Puck dove into his work.

They had decided to get back together when Beth had turned a year old. Puck begged for a second chance. He couldn't bear to be away from her or their daughter anymore. Three months later Puck had finished his second year in the patrol unit. He was informed that he would be transferred into the drug and crime unit, participating in investigations undercover. Quinn wasn't pleased, but she complied with his wishes to be patient with him. Nearly eleven months flew by when Puck was dismissed from the unit after some unfortunate budget cuts. Quinn was relieved that he was finished with the undercover work and they could focus on their relationship as they raised their daughter together.

This was around the time Santana had met Puck. He had invited her over for dinner after a week of riding together. He introduced her to Quinn and Beth. Santana and Quinn quickly grew close, much to Puck's delight. He felt guilty that Quinn had missed out on college and hoped that she would gain a friend in Santana. Beth quickly grew attached to Santana as well, much to Santana's surprise. She had spent little time around kids in her lifetime, so she sometimes was unsure of how to act around the child.

She remembered the first time she had babysat Beth. Quinn and Puck had asked her to babysit for them. They had to attend a funeral for a family member of Puck's and Judy was away for business that day. Santana had hesitantly accepted their plea. She had only known them for a few months at this point and was scared of the responsibility that was put in her hands.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

"_Ok, so we will be back later this evening," Quinn informed Santana as she handed her a large bag. Santana wondered what a kid even needed so much stuff for. _

"_Thanks again Santana, give us a call if you need anything," Puck thanked her. "I'll have my phone, so don't hesitate."_

"_Bye mommy, bye daddy!" Beth waved as she watched her parents begin to make their way out of the apartment. They both engulfed Beth into their arms and kissed her face until she squirmed away. "Gross!"_

_Santana smiled at the exchange. Since becoming partnered up with Puck, she had spent many days with the family of three. _

_When her parents finally left the apartment, just about 9 in the morning, Beth turned around and stared expectantly at Santana. Santana bit her lip, wondering what was acceptable for a nearly three year old to do._

"_Let's do something fun," Beth suggested. Santana raised her eyebrow. _

"_What do you have in mind, kid?" Santana asked her. Beth giggled, and ran into the dining room. A few minutes later she returned with a tea set, a bunch of costume jewelry and accessories, and some Barbies._

_Santana groaned as she figured out what the girl had in mind for playtime. _

_An hour and a half later Santana found herself wearing a feather headband, some strange jewelry hanging from her neck, and a clown-like makeover covering her face. Beth had insisted they play dress up and then have a tea party. Santana remembered why she never played with girls when she was Beth's age. Instead she beat up the boys and scuffed up her clothes at the playground._

"_Tana?" Santana snapped out of her childhood memories at the sound of Beth's voice._

"_Yes, Beth?" _

"_Where did mommy and daddy have to go?" Beth asked. Santana pursed her lips, wondering what she should tell the young girl._

"_They had to go see some family," she explained simply._

"_Why didn't I get to go?" Beth questioned._

"_I don't know," she answered. "Are you hungry?" Beth nodded. "You wanna go exploring?" Beth nodded again excitedly. Santana smiled and told her to clean up her toys as she wiped the pound of make-up from her face. _

_Ten minutes later they rushed out of Santana's apartment to head to explore the city. Santana decided to take the girl to see a movie. She knew the Regal Cinemas close to the Staples Center was playing Toy Story 3, which both girls were more than excited for. She, Puck and Beth had watched the first two movies the week before while Quinn and Judy went shopping and Beth had talked non-stop all week about seeing the new film._

_After the movie, Santana asked Beth if she had ever gone bowling before. The young girl shook her head, confused of the activity Santana asked her about. Bringing her next door to the Lucky Strike, the girls ate lunch and bowled a few games. Beth quickly got the hang of chucking the ball down the lane with two hands, impressing Santana, who had noticed Beth's score had been better than a teenager a few lanes over._

"_Great job, Beth!" Santana exclaimed. She gave Beth a high five. Beth giggled and Santana smiled warmly. She didn't know why she had been so nervous about babysitting. _

_When Quinn and Puck had returned that evening, they had found Santana passed out on the couch with their daughter curled into her side, clutching a stuffed duck._

**End of Flashback**

* * *

><p>Now having known them for almost two years, Santana felt like she was part of their family. She and Quinn were each other's best friends. Quinn spent every day with Santana in the hospital following her shooting until she was released. She would bring Beth with her most days and Santana couldn't help but appreciate the friends she had gained. Puck visited just as much, apologizing endlessly for her getting shot. She insisted he couldn't have done anything more than he did to save her life, and that she would be eternally grateful for him.<p>

Although Puck and Quinn had broken up before Santana's shooting, the former couple still lived together and got along better than when they were dating. He and Quinn looked around for a new apartment, wanting to get separate bedrooms. Puck had insisted Santana come along with them to find something close to the station too.

They finally found an apartment complex just a few minutes from their main station. The Palazzo Westwood Village, located on Glendon Avenue became their new home. The complex's manager had provided Puck and Santana a great deal on apartment leases in exchange of providing protection in the complex. She had signed a lease on a two bedroom apartment that was in the same building as her friends. Puck and Quinn decided on a spacious three-bedroom townhome. When they told Beth the news of Santana moving next door to them, the four year old threw herself into her Santana's arms, clearly excited of the new arrangements. Living next to the family she could practically call hers for the past two years had been unbelievable and Santana was happiest she had been her whole life.

* * *

><p>Brittany groaned after she exited her afternoon class. The class was <em>Courts Processes and Procedures<em> which already sounded like a lot of work, and that was confirmed when her professor had assigned a paper on the first three chapters of the textbook. She knew the field would be totally different than dancing, but she wasn't too thrilled about homework on the first day.

Not having any other classes that day, Brittany decided to head back to her apartment she and Rachel shared. Rachel had researched apartments near their school's campus before they moved out to California and insisted they share an apartment. All of the apartments within walking distance of their campus seemed sketchy, so Rachel begged her two dads to help pay for a nicer apartment on Wilshire Blvd. At first both Brittany and Rachel's parents were against the idea of their girls living on Wilshire Blvd, but eventually caved when the girl's insisted how hard they would work while in school.

So three weeks after graduation in 2008 the trio- Rachel, Brittany, and Sam- packed up Sam's huge SUV and drove across the country. After alternating driving rotations, coffee breaks and multiple stops to sightsee, they reached their destination: Los Angeles.

They followed the directions of Sam's GPS and found their new home for the next few years. _Glo_, which is located at 1050 Wilshire Blvd, was everything and more to the three best friends. It wasn't too far from the university, roughly 20 minutes. Sure it was a little extravagant for a college student, but college was about having fun and experiencing things out of the norm. The girls signed the lease to a spacious two bedroom apartment on the third floor and Sam had signed a lease to a studio apartment two floors above theirs, using part of his scholarship allowance to cover his rent for the next year. Rachel and Brittany's cars were shipped out once they had gotten settled, and they both got part-time jobs working at the Starbucks in their building.

When the start of the school year approached, all three sets of parents visited the campus and their apartments. They were very impressed with the city and trusted them to all be responsible. And with that, their kids were on their own.

Brittany unlocked the door to their apartment and settled on the couch in the living room area. She pulled her phone from her purse and noticed she had a text from her ex-boyfriend, Jason. She hadn't really spoken to him in a while and she wondered why he had texted her. Reading through the text on her screen, Brittany groaned.

**Hey babe, long time no talk. I was thinking of visiting sometime, let me know when you are free ;)**

Brittany huffed. She hated when he would text her randomly. They had broken up over a year ago.

"Hey Britt, how was class?" Rachel asked as stepped out of her room. She had spent the afternoon recording various tracks to prepare herself for her auditions next week for the fall festival.

"Ugh…we have a paper due next week already on three chapters of the text," Brittany complained. "That's like 80 pages of reading."

"You'll ace it!" Rachel encouraged her.

"Yeah, it'll be fine," Brittany accepted. "I just got a text, guess from who."

"Whom," Rachel corrected.

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Whom…and the "whom" is Jason."

Rachel scrunched her face in disgust. "Again, oh goodness I'm sorry."

"I know…I don't understand why he won't get over the fact that we don't go well together," Brittany mumbled. "Should I respond or just ignore him?"

"Ignore him, he'll eventually disappear again."

"Yeah, how is Finn doing?" Brittany asked. Rachel shrugged.

"I guess he's good. He met a girl at school and they been together for a few month now. He seems well," Rachel stated as she filed her nails.

"Does that bother you?" Brittany stared at her best friend. Rachel looked at Brittany with a sour look on her face.

"Brittany, I am over Finn. I have been ever since we moved out here."

"I was just making sure. We both know how you get," Brittany teased. Rachel rolled her eyes at the statement.

In high school Rachel had fallen hard for Finn the moment he stepped in the choir room. Their voices seemed to fit together perfectly as they sang various duets in glee club competitions. They started dating shortly after joining the club and were annoyingly sweet together. Rachel's star-driven goals however drove a large wedge into their relationship as Finn wasn't sure the lifestyle in New York and California was for him. They both remained friends and occasionally dated other people, neither really finding a decent replacement.

Brittany supported their relationship but hated how Finn and Sam acted towards each other. They competed in nearly everything and had caused a strain on their group dynamic in high school. She didn't understand why the two boys couldn't just stop the nonsense of fighting with each other and be friends. They had a lot in common.

Brittany pulled open her laptop and decided to check for any announcements from her _Intro to Criminology_ class. Her teacher had informed that more details about their projects would be available later that afternoon. Pulling open the document, Brittany scanned through the text and smiled.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"This sounds awesome. My teacher in my first class posted a list of things we are going to be doing this semester. Jail tours, community work, ride-along with LAPD officers, it all sounds cool." Brittany excitedly told her.

"Jail tours?" Rachel questioned."Isn't that going to be kind of dangerous?"

"What did you expect from a Criminal Justice class?" Brittany asked mockingly.

"I don't know. I would never do that though, I would be afraid an inmate would strangle me by the neck and ruin my vocal cords," Rachel murmured as she clutched her neck.

Brittany rolled her eyes at her the dramatic girl next to her and continued to read the email.

* * *

><p>Around five thirty Santana heard a knock on her apartment door. She had been cuddled in bed with her favorite stuffed animal that Beth had given her. Slipping out of the bed, she approached the apartment door much like she did earlier that day, except this time she was fully clothed and wasn't carrying her gun. She looked through the peep hole and groaned. <em>Ashley<em>, she thought.

She opened the door and the blonde girl launched herself at Santana, catching her lips in lingering kiss. Santana was caught by surprise at the girl's actions, but kissed her back before pulling away after a few moments.

"Hey babe," Ashley beamed. Santana smiled at the upbeat girl she had been getting naked with for the past few months. That's about as nice of a label Santana had come up with to what they were doing.

"Hey, what are you doin' here?" Santana asked her. She was pretty sure she told her that she would be busy that night.

"I just wanted to surprise you. I got off work early and was close by," Ashley explained. "And I wanted to tell you that I scored you and Puck some tickets for the USC football game next weekend."

Santana was now intrigued. She had wanted to go to the football game and was hell-bent on finding tickets, but she wasn't finding much luck. The Trojans were the number one team in the country and would be playing the second best team in the country. Tickets were going for a couple hundred dollars each. She knew Puck would want to go, so she turned to Ashley.

"And how did you manage to get tickets to the sold out game?" Santana asked.

"Well the station wants me to interview some of the USC players before the game, so they gave me extra tickets for anyone I wanted to bring." She held up two tickets in front of Santana's face. "You want them?"

Santana nodded, reaching out to grab them. Ashley pulled them away teasingly, causing Santana to roll her eyes. "What do I have to do?"

Ashley bobbed her eyebrows and Santana sighed at the meaning of the gesture. The girl was good in bed, great even, but she sure was a bit too much sometimes. Santana enjoyed her personal space away from people, yet Ashley always seemed to want to be around. Quinn had listened to Santana's complaints about it all and suggested she tell Ashley that she wasn't necessarily interested in anything at the moment, but Santana was acting like a coward about it all. So instead of taking Quinn's advice, Santana leaned in to kiss the girl she was constantly annoyed by. She wanted those tickets, what could she say?

As if reading her mind, a knock on the door interrupted the girls from taking it further. Santana adjusted her top and opened the door revealing Quinn and her pint-sized daughter.

"Hey, my two favorite girls!" Santana genuinely greeted. She tilted her head back slightly and mouthed a 'thank you' to Quinn before ushering them in. Quinn shook her head in disbelief and followed them into Santana's living room.

"Tana, you missed the bestest movie ever!" Beth told her before sitting on the couch.

"I bet I did! I wish I could've been there to watch it."

"I'm guessing I came at a bad time?" Quinn asked, noticing Ashley's nervousness.

"No, I told you I'd watch Beth for you tonight," Santana directed towards Quinn. Quinn's left eyebrow raised slightly. Then she caught on to what Santana was doing.

"Oh, yeah, thank you so much. I really appreciate it Santana," Quinn said getting up from the couch. She kissed Beth on the cheek and told her she would be back in a little bit and walked out of the apartment. She stepped back into her apartment and shook her head.

"That girl, I swear."

Ashley felt uncomfortable now that Beth was sitting in the living room with them, so she motioned to Santana to meet her by the door. Santana obliged.

"I guess it's a bad time. I'm going to get going. Here are the tickets just in case we don't get a chance to get together before then," Ashley whispered into Santana's ear. Santana pulled the tickets from the girl's grasp and swiftly turned her head when Ashley leaned in for a kiss, her cheek receiving the gesture. Santana motioned towards Beth who was watching the encounter with an amused expression on her face.

Ashley nodded and winked at Santana as she walked out of her apartment and towards the stairs. A few seconds later Quinn reemerged and laughed at Santana's face.

"You are so busted," Quinn said as she grabbed the tickets.

"What did I do?" Santana mocked.

"Using that poor girl for tickets? You are bad." Santana just shrugged her shoulders. They walked back into the living room and Quinn pulled Beth into her lap.

"Tana, who was that?" the curious girl asked.

"Just a friend," Santana replied.

"Why did she try to kiss you?"

Santana widened her eyes. "Uh…"

"Is she your girlfriend?" Quinn stifled a laugh. Her daughter was very persistent. It was bound to happen with her and Puck as her parents.

"Nope, she is not my girlfriend," Santana informed her. "Let's forget about her. I owe you something, don't I?"

Beth nodded rapidly, excited for what Santana got her. She loved surprises.

Santana came out of her room with a medium-sized bag and placed it in front of the girl. "Here you go, happy early birthday!"

Beth smiled and pulled out a teddy bear. It was wearing a police uniform that reminded her of her daddy's. "I love it, thank you!" Beth proclaimed, giving Santana a big hug. Quinn watched the duo lovingly.

"Do you know why I got this bear?" Santana asked the girl. Beth shook her head. Santana pulled her into her lap. "I got this bear because he is meant to make you feel safe. I know you are scared about starting kindergarten tomorrow. It's a new thing to you. But he won't let anything happen to you." Santana told her with a kindness in her eyes. "You once gave me a stuffed toy, do you remember?" Beth nodded.

"Well I was scared and you helped me become stronger, and whenever I feel scared, I remember what you told me and I feel better."

Quinn smiled as she thought back to the time Santana was talking about.

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback<strong>

_Quinn told Puck she would tell Beth. She knew he was grieving and she didn't want to scare Beth. So when Quinn had picked up her daughter that night from her grandmother's house, she pulled her close and explained that Santana had been hurt. Beth cried, scared that she was going to lose her friend. Quinn reassured her daughter that Santana was ok, she just wasn't feeling well. _

"_Mommy, can I see her?"_

"_Of course you can baby," Quinn kissed her forehead. "We can go in the morning, ok?"_

_Beth nodded and Quinn tucked her into bed and told her a story._

_The next morning Beth was awake before Quinn, so she looked through all of her stuffed animals and decided on one to give Santana. Quinn walked in and noticed Beth's thorough examination of each toy before she finally chose one from the pile on her bed. Beth turned and noticed her mother in the doorway._

"_Can we go see Tana now?" Quinn nodded and told her to get changed. _

_Once they reached the door to Santana's room, Quinn lowered to her knees to look at Beth. "Honey, she is going to look a little different than usual. She doesn't feel good. But remember she can hear what we say, so let's make her feel better, ok?"_

_Beth bobbed her head and followed Quinn into the room. Stepping on the step stool beside the bed, Beth looked at Santana's motionless body. "Hey Tana, it's Beth. Your friend, just in case you don't remember. Mommy said you don't feel good. So I have something to make you feel better." Beth held her hand out to her mom and Quinn placed the stuffed duck in her daughter's awaiting hand._

"_This is my favorite toy. You got me it after we went to see the ducks. I was afraid of the ducks but you told me I had to be strong. I wanted to be strong like you." Beth said looking down at Santana. Quinn swiped the tears from her cheeks as she watched her daughter. _

"_I want you to get strong so you feel better. Mommy said if I am strong for you, you will get better. So I'm giving you this." Beth placed the duck in Santana's right hand. "I want you to be strong like you wanted me to with the ducks."_

_Santana had heard Beth talking to her and she couldn't help the tears that slipped down her cheeks. She opened her eyes and pulled the duck closer to her side. Beth and Quinn noticed the movement and gasped._

"_San, you're awake!" Quinn whispered excitedly. _

_Santana smiled at her and then looked at Beth. "Thank you Beth. I wish I could be as strong as you."_

**End of Flashback**

* * *

><p>Beth thanked Santana for her gift and decided to watch some cartoons while Santana and Quinn talked.<p>

"So, how was your first class?" Santana asked her friend. She knew how excited she was to be starting school again.

"It was great. I am in Alexis Robertson's class."

"Speaking of that class, guess who is stuck handling all of the ride-alongs for that class?" Santana asked sarcastically. Quinn pointed at her and Santana nodded.

"At least you'll be back on the street!" Quinn replied.

"Oh my God, why does everyone keep saying that?"

"It won't be that bad." Santana shrugged. "I made a new friend. Her name is Brittany. She's two years younger and very nice."

"Sounds good, glad you are making friends at school."

"Yeah, I mean I just want to get what I missed out on years ago. I love Beth, and I don't regret it at all, but I'm so excited to be back in school." Santana smiled.

"That's great. Really, I am happy for you. I know you are gonna love it."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Long ass chapter I know. And I know, GLO? Haha if I could afford an apartment like that in college, I would definitely do it big with a roommate. I don't like the idea of using the usual "poor college student" aspect in the story. If they can afford it, why not? :) More to come…soon Brittany will meet Santana, Puck may go after Alexis, Faberry may happen…who knows?**


	4. Chapter 4 part one

**Chapter 4**

Santana groaned as she parked her squad car in her apartment's lot. She was finally off work and what a day she had.

After her sergeant had told her that she would be assigned to ride-along duty two days ago, Santana had thought about how annoying the students would be. She was right. The first student decided that two days after his class started was a swell time to get his project out of the way.

_Fucking overachiever, Santana had thought as she walked into roll call that morning. The younger man had looked very awkward as he sat there on the bench in the substation. _

_Santana spent an extra fifteen minutes talking to Puck and her other friends before she finally motioned for the teenager to follow her out to her car. _

"_My name is Santana Lopez. You are?" _

"_Benny…Sharpe," he introduced nervously. _

_Santana nodded and hit the remote to unlock her car doors. Sliding in the driver's seat, she set up her laptop and turned on her police scanner. _

"_So…why the laptop?" Benny asked her. _

"_Whenever we get a call, they send us the information through, giving us everything from priority levels, types of incidents, and identifying information of victims and offenders," she explained pointing out a case on the screen. Benny nodded and looked down at his hands._

_Santana set her GPS up on the dash and clicked a key on the laptop, pulling up a message box. "This is pretty cool, basically if we want to talk to other officers, we can send out messages. Sometimes we have a lot of downtime while driving around." She typed out a message to Puck._

_**Meet at the Mobil on West Olympic I need some coffee.**_

_She waited a few seconds and Puck responded back._

_**Already? Haha, will do.**_

_Santana closed out the message box and pulled the car out of the lot. "So, got any questions for me?"_

_Benny bit his lip and then turned to her. "Do you like being a cop?"_

"_I love it," Santana responded truthfully. "There's nothing I like better than going out every day to make a difference in the world."_

_Benny wrote out something in his small notepad causing Santana to roll her eyes. Putting his pen down, he listened to the police scanner as the dispatcher called out various numbers and locations. "When do you know what call is yours?" As Santana began to respond, he got ready to write._

"_Every officer is assigned a specific zone to work. West LA is zone 8. Since the zones are very large, they are broken into subsectors. So, the one we are in today is 8A35. There are 4 other officers assigned to A35 since it's not too large, so my call number is A35-3. The other officers are dash 1, 2, 4, 5. So whenever you hear A35-3, that means we have a call."_

_Benny finished writing as Santana pulled into the gas station next to Puck's squad car. She motioned for Benny to follow as she stepped out of the car to walk inside. _

"_Lopez, back on the streets, you make me so proud," Puck teased as she walked over to the coffee station. _

"_Can it, Puckerman. This is Benny, he is my first rider." Puck shook his hand._

"_So, you ready to see what we do?" Puck asked Benny, who nervously avoided eye contact. _

"_Yeah, it'll be fun, I think." _

"_Well, Lopez here is a fine cop. And she's also pretty good at her job," Puck said, winking at her as she flipped him off. "You'll get sick of her after a few hours though, she plays depressive music when there's downtime."_

"_Adele isn't depressive. She's amazing," Santana pointed out. She looked over to Benny. "Don't listen to him. He is just upset that his daughter accidently broke his iPod last week and all he had besides the radio in his car is a soundtrack for the Lion King."_

"_Well if someone didn't hide the rest of the CD's in my car..." Santana interrupted him._

"_Benny, this grown man here showed up one morning in tears and tried to play it off by saying he had accidently gotten pepper spray in his eyes. I'm not talking about a few droplets, I'm talking waterfall." Puck glared as she continued. "The real reason he had been crying was because he listened to 'Circle of Life' on repeat the whole ride to work."_

_Benny joined Santana in laughter and Puck mocked them. "Yeah, whatever, go and laugh it up. I'm not ashamed." He grabbed his coffee and muffin from the stand and approached the cashier. _

_Santana and Benny grabbed a few items and followed. Once they all finished paying, they leaned up against Santana's squad car and looked out towards the street._

"_Do you think we will get any exciting calls today?" Benny asked as he sipped on his hot chocolate. _

"_Hard to say, sometimes we won't get a call until a few hours into the shift. Given that it is only a little after 11:30am, most people are at work or school. So we just kind of scan the area until something comes up." Benny reached into the car for his notepad again and Puck shook his head. _

"_So, how did Beth enjoy her first day of kindergarten yesterday?" Santana asked Puck. _

_Puck smiled. "Well she was very nervous at first. She wouldn't let go of my leg. Quinn had to help me pry her off. But after we talked with her for a few minutes, a little boy came over and asked if she wanted to play." Santana raised her eyebrows. "When's too young to give the whole 'hurt my daughter and I'll find you' chat?" _

"_I would assume intimidating five year olds would be too soon," Santana laughed. Puck shrugged and sipped his coffee. "Well, I'm gonna take Benny here around the streets, let's meet back up later."_

"_Ok, maybe if we get a bank robbery or a carjacking, we can let you take care of it," Puck suggested to Benny. The boy widened his eyes with fright and gulped._

"_Um, I don't know…"_

"_Don't scare my observer. Let's go kid." Santana slipped into the car and rolled the window down while Puck walked to his car. As she reversed out of her spot, she yelled at Puck, causing him to turn towards her car._

_Singing obnoxiously, she drove away. "IT'S THE CIRCLE, THE CIRCLEEEE OF LIFEEEE."_

_Benny laughed in the passenger seat and Santana turned on her iPod. Handing it to him, she suggested he play something. Scrolling through for a few minutes, he finally picked a playlist filled with Journey songs._

* * *

><p><em>After close to three hours, they finally got a call. Santana opened up the case screen and read off the details.<em>

"_Ok, so petty theft at 2100 south Sepulveda Boulevard, it's an auto repair shop," Santana explained. "Priority here is minimal. We probably won't be able to do much of anything about it. But we at least have to put together a report." Turning at the next right, Santana followed the directions from her GPS._

_They arrived at Star Autosport five minutes later and they both exited the car. Stepping inside, Santana noticed a man roughly 30 years old sitting at the counter, talking on the phone. When he noticed her, he dismissed his phone call and stood up._

"_Hello officer. My name is Mark Bates." She shook his hand._

"_I'm Officer Lopez. This is Benny, he will be observing today." Mark nodded. "Ok, so inform me on what happened here."_

_Mark explained that he had sent his other two employees on lunch break close to an hour before a man came in asking questions about his transmission. He had stepped outside to take a look at the man's car and when he returned roughly ten minutes after, he noticed that several tires and parts had disappeared from the repair area. His employees had returned a few minutes later and they called to report it. _

_After taking statements from the three men, Santana and Benny walked out of the shop and back to her car. She suggested lunch since she had to work on the report. Her sergeant was very strict about them and would deny them if they weren't in full detail. She drove them to a place called, The Apple Pan._

_Benny looked apprehensive as they approached and Santana reassured him. "Trust me, it's not much on the outside, but they've got the best food." _

_After typing up the report and eating their meals, they got back on the road and her computer beeped. "Hmm, Puck got a call, needs some backup, you down?" Santana asked. _

"_Do we have a choice?" Benny joked. Santana shook her head and had him send an address. "What is the call?"_

_Santana read Puck's message. "A man will not leave his unpaid hotel room. The manager said she'll keep from pressing charges if we get him out. 10330 Olympic Blvd." Santana laughed. "Priority two, lights go on! This oughta be fun."_

_Santana flipped on her sirens and sped out towards the hotel, weaving her way into traffic. Some cars did not move until the last second, causing Benny to screech like a girl more than once. She laughed and told him she knew what she was doing. He held onto his stomach and panted slightly. When they reached the hotel, she jumped out of the car and Benny's door flew wide open. He hunched over and vomited, his lunch evident on the concrete._

"_Gross dude," Santana groaned. Puck was standing next to his car trying to keep a straight face. _

"_Benny, what did you eat?" Unable to respond without throwing up, he pointed to Santana._

"_He ate a hamburger and had a milkshake. Oh, and two slices of banana cream pie," she informed him, shutting Benny's door. "You're lucky you didn't toss chunks in my car. Let's go, you can get cleaned up inside."_

_Puck chuckled. "The Apple Pan, oh nice! Thanks for the invite."_

_They walked into the lobby and a balding woman came up to them. _

"_Hello, thanks for responding so quickly. My name is Beatrice Wilson. The man, Richard Flanagan is up in 215. He paid in advance for three full days, was supposed to check out two days ago, but he hasn't budged. He told me the first day he didn't pay that he would get his money yesterday since he still needed the room, so I allowed it. He didn't pay, nor did he allow the maid to come clean. Like I said over the phone, if you get him out, I will not press charges on him."_

_Santana and Puck nodded. Benny sat in the lobby area as they retrieved a key card for the room and headed to the room._

"_How's it going so far?" Puck asked._

"_It's alright, the kid is quiet. Although, he has replayed 'Don't Stop Believing' a few times. I can only hear that song so many times before I want to punch an optimist."_

"_Just think, at least another few months of this and you will be done. Who knows, you may get some fine women to ride with you." He winked. _

"_Doubtful."_

"_I'm telling Quinn on you," he teased in a childish voice. _

_They found the room and knocked on the door. When no one responded, they used the key card to open the door. A man was passed out in the bed, bottles of vodka littering the tables and floor. Puck approached the bed and checked the pulse._

"_He's alive. Just a tad bit drunk I assume."_

"_You think?" Santana retorted sarcastically. She grabbed the ice bin from the countertop and filled it with cold water. Puck smirked as she approached the opposite side of the bed. She tossed it at the man's face, causing him to leap up frantically. _

_He took in his surroundings and muttered 'oh shit' as he saw Puck and Santana's badges. _

"_Hello, officers. What brings you here?"_

"_You failed to pay for your extended stay, didn't you Richard?" Santana asked. _

"_I will later," he responded, lying back down. He was clearly still intoxicated._

"_Actually, you will need to be leaving now." Puck said, lightly pulling on the man's arm. "Or else we will take you in."_

_The man rolled his head and lifted slightly. "Fine, give me a minute."_

_He slowly dragged himself out of the bed and pulled the sheet from his body revealing his naked form. Santana grimaced as he stalked closer towards them. Stumbling around the room, Richard looked for his clothes. After several attempts to pull on his trousers, he finally huffed and asked for help._

_Both of them held their stance, unwilling to be the one to help the man. He continued to struggle and finally they settled it by playing best out of three in rock-paper-scissors. Puck won, causing Santana to curse herself for choosing scissors twice. She walked a few steps closer and bent lower to hold the pants open for the helpless man. He faltered twice, nearly toppling over her, much to her dismay, but finally got them on and pulled them up. Taking close to twenty minutes to retrieve everything, they finally escorted the man out of the room and back towards the main lobby area. _

_Beatrice scoffed as they approached. "Get out of here before I press charges on your scumbag ass."_

"_Why, so you can afford a new hairpiece?" Richard laughed as he walked out and made his way down the street as he made a phone call._

"_Thank you, you are both very kind." She trailed her index finger against Puck's hand as they shook hands. Santana kept the air in her cheeks as she motioned for Benny to follow them out. When the door closed they all burst into laughter._

"_How are ya feeling my man?" Puck asked Benny. _

"_I've been better. The pie along with the driving got me sick."Santana's head snapped in his direction._

"_My driving is amazing," she made clear. Benny's eyes widened at her glaring and quickly looked down at his feet. "So Puck, we will have to work on a collaborate report on this, where shall we go to get it done?"_

"_We can work on it here. The traffic is set to get really bad soon, so I'd rather not be in the middle of it."_

_Forty minutes later, and a whole lot of joking about the naked guy, Santana and Puck submitted their reports and waited on their approval. Before Puck left he told Santana to lighten up on Benny, he was probably intimidated by her._

"_So Benny, what got you interested in the field?" Santana politely asked, trying to make the boy less nervous._

"_Well, I always thought role playing games as cops or military men were pretty awesome. I play them all the time," Benny told her. _

"_Hmm." She wasn't really sure how to respond. "Does that make you want to become a cop? Or work in similar territories?"_

"_No, not really," he responded truthfully. "I want to create video game software. I just thought it was a cool field to study as well." _

"_Right," she shrugged. _

* * *

><p><em>The rest of the shift went by pretty smoothly, only dealing with a few traffic stops, which seemed to drag on for Santana. Never in her life had she been so bored on a day of work. And that included the desk time. Benny had talked her ear off about various games he had played and others that he created, most being fantasy games. Once nine thirty rolled around, she was completely fed up with her company and told him that she had to drop him off at the station early. She made up some bogus excuse, claiming that she couldn't bring a citizen in with her to the property room, where she had to drop off all the statements she had collected. <em>

So after the long day, Santana walked into her apartment building and trudged up the stairs. Reaching her floor, she pulled her keys out and unlocked the door. It was 10:25pm, still a little early to go to sleep, so Santana typed out an email to Alexis.

_**Seriously, you had a student out on a ride-along with me today, ridiculous. Does he lose attendance points or something? I would totally drop him a letter grade. HA just kidding. But seriously, he blew his lunch all over the ground during one call. It was fucking HI-Larious. Send me better students or else I will stick Puck on you. Thanks again for ruining my life ;)**_

After checking her email and fixing herself a bowl of cocoa pebbles, Santana showered, brushed her teeth and climbed into bed hoping that the next day at work wouldn't be so annoying.

* * *

><p>To be continued...<p>

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Part 1 of 2 for this chapter itself…it was a little longer than I expected, so I will def include the others in the second part. Thanks for being patient :)**


	5. Chapter 4 part two

**That same day**

Brittany had walked into her 8am class in a sluggish manner. Taking her seat next to Quinn, she set her stuff on the floor underneath the table and greeted the girl.

"Someone had a rough night," Quinn joked. Brittany smiled sleepily and nodded.

"I was up all night last night after work studying for my courts class. I swear that professor is going to kill me before the midterm even gets here," Brittany complained. Quinn smiled at her friend.

"That sounds like a scary class. I didn't have any classes yesterday, but Beth started kindergarten. When she got home, she spent hours telling stories of her day," Quinn beamed. "She loves it, I'm glad. I was scared her being younger than most of the kids would be an issue, but she seems to have adapted."

"That's great! She sounds like such a great kid."

"What are you doing this Sunday? We are having a birthday celebration for her, she'll be turning five. You are more than welcome to come and hang out. We are going to spend the day at the park."

Brittany thought about her plans. "I really don't have anything planned, are you sure?"

"Of course, it'll be fun! And please, don't feel obligated to bring a gift. She's already spoiled by everyone else."

"Okay, sure it sounds like it'll be fun," Brittany accepted. "Thanks, Quinn. You want to get lunch after class?"

"Sure! I have to head to pick up Beth around one, but that would be fun!" Brittany smiled and pulled out the book for the class.

Alexis walked in, dressed in normal attire and set her things down on the desk.

"Hello class, I'm glad to see most of you decided to stick with this class after the first day, I apologize for the shortened class. So, let's get started for the day. I want to briefly talk about the projects first so that you guys can get out there and start getting into fun stuff. I have informed my sergeant on some things I want you guys to have the opportunities to do, and he has set up three officers that will be on 'ride-along' duty for the semester. So, I will provide you information for the three towards the end of class. All three officers are great, and I am sure you will all learn a lot from each of them. "

A student in the front of the class raised her hand. "If it happens to be a class date that we are scheduled to ride, will we lose attendance points?"

Alexis shook her head. "No, of course I know you guys have lives and sometimes can't always be here. So, I'm allowing a four-absent leniency. I would make sure you use them wisely, as the semester is pretty long. So one of those absents can be used in place of your ride-along if you end up doing one during class times. I will also give extra attendance points to those who don't use all four of them. It's simple, come to class, have fun and we will get along great," she said flashing her smile to the class.

"I like her," Brittany whispered to Quinn.

Quinn nodded, knowing how awesome Alexis was. She had known her for a couple years and at first was intimidated by the woman. When Puck worked with her in the drug and crime unit, they spent a lot of time hanging out after shifts. She thought that something had been going on, but one night Alexis explained that they were just friends, and eventually she and Quinn became close.

"Ok, so let's get started in the book." Some groans were heard. "Oh, I know man, school work."

Brittany laughed and pulled her book open. Her phone vibrated in her lap, so she pulled it out and read the screen. It was Rachel.

_**Big lunch today, after your class! –R**_

**Ok! My friend Quinn wanted to have lunch after. Is it cool if she joined? She's super nice. –B**

**Yeah, that's fine! See you in a few hours. Don't get too distracted in class ;) –R**

Brittany put her phone away and paid attention to the lecture. Close to eleven Alexis finally stopped the lecture from the book and told the class to take out a piece of paper.

"I'm going to read out the information for the three officers and the shifts they work. Take down their information and make sure to get out there early enough that way you don't have to rush later on. Ok, the first officer is Mike Chang. He works the first shift, starting 430am-4pm. The second officer is Santana Lopez. Her shift starts at 1030am lasting until 10pm. And the third officer is David Karofsky. He works the late shift, starting at 730pm lasting until 7am."

Brittany raised her eyebrows. All three shifts were kind of a problem for her. She had four classes that took up Monday through Thursday. She also worked at the Starbucks in her apartment complex a few nights a week, so it was going to be hard to figure out a shift.

"Once you guys figure out a date, contact me and I'll let you know if the officers are available that day. These are different circumstances than the normal citizen riding procedures, so you should be able to ride relatively quickly."

* * *

><p>Alexis dismissed the class and Quinn and Brittany headed to the Subway on campus. Rachel and Sam would be meeting them there in a few.<p>

"Are you sure you don't mind? I don't want to intrude on your friends." Brittany had told Quinn that her friends wanted to meet up for lunch, and Quinn didn't want to impose.

"Of course not, you're my friend and they are super nice," Brittany reassured her.

Quinn accepted her friend's words and pulled her purse onto her shoulder. As they walked, they talked about the ride-alongs.

"So when do you think you are going to go on your ride-along?" Quinn asked.

"I really have no idea. I may try to this Friday night," Brittany told her. "It's really the only time I could probably get it done, and I'd rather knock it out earlier and not have to worry about it."

Quinn nodded. "Yeah, I'll probably ride one day that I don't have class and Puck isn't working. And you'll like your officer, Dave is a nice guy."

"Do you know anyone who isn't a cop?" Brittany joked. Quinn laughed and shrugged.

"What can I say, you know one cop, and you know the whole force."

They finally reached the Subway and walked inside. Rachel waved at them as they approached the pair in line.

"Hey guys. This is Quinn," Brittany pointed towards.

Sam smiled and held his hand out. "Hi, I'm Sam. It's nice to meet you." Quinn smiled back.

"And I'm Rachel, I've heard very nice things about you," Quinn blushed and thanked her.

They all paid for their food and settled into a booth, Quinn sitting next to Brittany, across from Rachel and Sam.

"So, what's this _big_ lunch for?" Brittany asked as she bit into her massive sub. She was starving.

Sam put down his sandwich and took a sip of his water. "Well, the coaches liked me so much this offseason that I was officially named the starter for us! I'll be starting this weekend!" Brittany shrieked and slid out of the booth to hug Sam.

"Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" she told him as she sat back in her spot.

"Wow, I'm here sitting with the Trojans starting quarterback," Quinn laughed. "My friends sure would be jealous right now!" Sam smiled and bit into his sandwich again.

"So, Quinn, I hear you took a break from school for a while after you graduated, how does it feel to be back?" Rachel asked.

"Well, I'm less hormonal," she joked. "But I'm enjoying it. I'm sure you know I have a daughter, so a while after high school I had to stop to take care of her. Now she's in school and I have the time to do things I missed out on."

Rachel nodded. "What do you think you want to do, as far as school or work?"

"I'm not really sure yet, when I was younger I had thought about real estate or teaching. Right now I'm taking a few different classes to see what interests me."

"Well, you're in my criminology class, have you ever thought of working in that field?" Brittany asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Puck is great at his job, but I'm not sure I would particularly like being a cop. Maybe something in the legal side, like an attorney, or working with underprivileged kids in bad areas would be something I'd like."

"That sounds very noble, I once volunteered at a summer camp of underprivileged kids when I was in high school," Rachel told her. "It was great. However, they didn't appreciate my singing too much." Brittany looked at her best friend and smiled. She sure was something else.

"You can sing?" Quinn asked excitedly. Sam smacked his hand against his head dramatically as if that was the wrong question to ask.

"Oh yes, I dabble," Rachel professed modestly. Brittany kicked her under the table. "Ouch!"

"Rachel is on scholarship for musical theater. Don't let her fool you with her fake modesty. She will usually talk up a storm about her talents." Quinn smiled at the banter between the girls. She was reminded of her and Santana's friendship.

"I didn't want to be rude to Quinn here and go on and on about my musical achievements," Rachel pouted.

"No, no I love to hear about things like that. I loved singing with my church when I was younger," Quinn reached and touched her arm to reassure her. "My best friend was in a choir in high school and she loved it. We didn't have one at my high school."

"All three of us were in our school's glee club!" Sam exclaimed. The girls laughed at his outburst.

"Really? That's awesome. Were you guys any good?"

"We made it to Nationals our sophomore year," Sam bragged.

"Yeah, we lost to this amazing team, their lead vocalist was marvelous." Rachel continued.

"But then we won the next two years, so it was pretty awesome," Brittany finished.

Quinn smiled at the trio. They seemed to be a really fun, close-knit group.

"Well that's awesome, I will definitely have to hear you guys sing sometime."

* * *

><p>Time flew by as the group discussed everything from the classes they were in to Sam's first starting game. It was close to 12:30, which meant Quinn had to leave to pick up Beth.<p>

"Hey guys, I'm really glad that we got to have lunch. I have to go and pick up my daughter now, but we should definitely do this again sometime," Quinn suggested.

"Sure, here, this is my number, if you ever want to discuss theater. I bet you would be great in our fall festival!" Rachel smiled as she handed her a card. Quinn giggled as she looked at it. Next to 'Rachel Berry' it had a gold star.

"Cute," Quinn smirked at Rachel, causing her to blush.

"Yeah, and if you or your ex ever want to get into a game, let me know, I can score ya'll some sideline passes." Sam winked as he handed her a piece of folded paper that he got from Brittany.

"Oh my goodness, that would be awesome!"

Brittany shook her head at her two friends. Leave it to them to give their numbers out to her new friend the first time they meet her.

"Bye guys, see you Sunday Britt?" Brittany nodded. "Ok, ya'll are welcome to come as well. See ya'll later, good luck on Saturday, Sam."

They waved as she left and Brittany turned and smacked both of them. "Seriously guys, your numbers?"

"What?" they both questioned.

"I simply gave her my number for…referential support," Rachel commented. Brittany rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I totally thought she was hot too," Sam admitted as he shrugged.

"You both are crazy. I for a fact know that your "referential support" is a bogus attempt to try and talk to her again. You think she's attractive, don't you Rach?" Rachel widened her eyes.

"No, no…of course…not…well I mean she's pretty, and her eyes, well they…no, no I am not attracted to her." Brittany tilted her head at her nervous friend. "I don't know, she just seems so sweet, and fun. She could be a nice friend."

"Well please, both of you, promise me you won't make things awkward. She and I will be sharing a class all semester and I really like her. She's super nice."

Sam and Rachel agreed. "No awkwardness," Sam stated. "So what's this thing she invited us to?"

"Oh, yeah, she is having a birthday celebration for her daughter on Sunday at the park. She's turning five. Ya'll want to go?" They both smiled and nodded.

* * *

><p>When the trio had left Subway, Sam and Rachel drove towards the Massman Theatre. Rachel wanted to use the time before work to practice her vocals again, while Sam wanted to run some laps at the track nearby. They parked near the theatre and got out of the car.<p>

"So, about this Quinn thing," Sam began.

"What do you mean, thing, there's no 'thing' to discuss," Rachel glanced away.

"Rachel, look, I know you. You try to play off like you're confident and over the whole relationship thing, but I know how much that dirt bag hurt you. So if you're feeling anything towards her, I will not interfere. You are one of my best friends, and I want you to be happy."

"Sam, there is nothing there, she's a nice girl," Rachel chuckled. "That's it. Besides, she has a daughter, and an ex-boyfriend. She is straight. I am straight."

"Okay," Sam teased. "Seriously, though if you ever need anything, you or Britt, I'm always here for you both."

Rachel hugged him and told him she'd meet up with him later. As she walked in the theater, her mind raced about the lunch and what Sam had said about Quinn. It was crazy to her that she'd even think of Quinn in that way. She had never before been attracted to a woman, well except for Barbra Streisand, but she's a legend come on.

She had no idea what these feelings meant, but she wanted to figure them out. She reasoned with herself that maybe it was an intimacy thing that she was longing for. Sure she had Brittany, but they didn't really spend too much time together lately. They worked opposite shifts and their classes were on different schedules. Plus she had two dads, so she didn't really have that female connection that she would have gotten from her mother. That had to be why she had so quickly found herself wrapped up with thoughts of the girl she just met.

* * *

><p>After her afternoon class, Brittany sent Alexis an email, asking if she would be able to go on her ride-along on Friday night. As she waited for a reply, she decided to study her courts book. Flipping through countless pages, Brittany finally dozed off. When she awoke, she noticed it was dark outside. <em>Shit, <em>she thought.

She wiped the drool from the side of her mouth and pulled her laptop open. She clicked her internet browser and waited for the window to open up. Once there, she clicked her email bookmark and checked the messages. She had three new messages, one from Alexis, one from Jason, and one from her mother.

Clicking on her mother's message first, Brittany scanned over the text.

_**Just wanted to see how everything was going in your new classes. Call me when you have free time, I miss my babygirl! Xoxo Mom**_

She quickly typed out a response to her mom saying that she would call her later that night and that she loved her. She opened up Jason's with a cringe and snorted at the message.

_**Babe, I just found the most perfect place for us to go during winter break. You'll love it. I thought that maybe your phone number changed, so I decided to email you. Let me know if you're up for skiing? **_

"Delete!" Brittany sang aloud as she hit the delete button. She was seriously gonna have to figure a way to keep him from pestering her. Finally she opened up the message from Alexis and smiled at the screen.

_**Hey Brittany, the shift is available for you to ride on Friday night. Just make sure you have your ID with you, and dress business casual. Have fun, you're gonna love it! See you in class Monday.**_

Glad to have gotten that settled, Brittany spent the rest of the night preparing for Friday. She knew Thursday would be busy, between classes and her shift at work, so she had to make sure she was ready beforehand. She looked for clothes that would be defined as "business casual" and after an hour of nothing, she finally decided she would ask Rachel once she arrived back at home. She took a quick shower, ate dinner and then jumped in bed for another nap.

* * *

><p>Santana woke up to a phone ringing Thursday morning. Pissed at being interrupted, she snatched her phone off the charger and answered, not glancing at the caller ID.<p>

"What do I owe this ridiculous pleasure?" she asked sarcastically.

"Lopez?" Her eyes snapped open.

"Sergeant! Hi, how are you, I'm sorry I was just uhh…"

"I was calling to let you know that Karofsky had a last minute emergency, he can't work Friday night, so I need you to take over for him. He will work your Sunday shift."

Santana groaned. She hated the night shift. Ever since she had been shot, the chance of going out during the darker hours had her jittery. "I understand, is there a reason though that I am taking it and not another officer?"

"Yes, there is a student that requested Friday night for a ride-along. So, of course, that is why I called you." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Yes sir, thank you." She hung up and sat up in bed. "I swear Alexis is going to get it."

She climbed out of bed and grumbled the whole way to the kitchen. She started her morning coffee and pulled a few bagels out of her fridge. She looked at the clock and pouted.

"It's only 7:40 are you kidding me." She hated waking up too early before her shift. Spending close to twelve hours on the road got rough and there was only so much sleep in the night before she had to wake up again. She depended on her Fridays where she could sleep into the late afternoon and not worry about working, but Karofsky screwed that up for her. She would remember to punch him the next time she saw him.

Once her bagels were finished heating, she decided to call Quinn. She knew that her friend would be dropping Beth off at kindergarten, so she would tell her the news about Sunday.

"Hello?"

"Hey Quinn."

"Oh my goodness, is this Santana Lopez, queen bitch up and out of bed before nine am? Has the world ended?"

Santana laughed. "No actually, I wanted to let you know that I am now available for the park on Sunday. Apparently Dave had an emergency and I have to work his nightshift tomorrow. And, I have to take over his ride-along. I swear I am gonna make them miserable."

Quinn decided that telling Santana that Brittany would be the one riding with her would be a bad idea, so instead she sympathized for her and told her it wouldn't be so bad.

"Are you kidding me, Q, it's going to be awful."

"Stop being such a baby, Santana. Now you get to go Sunday. You wouldn't want to disappoint Beth on both of your birthdays now would you?"

Santana scoffed. "That's not fair. And, I don't want you guys making a big deal this year about my birthday. I hate my birthday," she groaned.

"Well it IS a big deal, so get over it. It's awesome you and Beth share the same special day together. You'll have fun, I promise. Oh, and before I forget, I had lunch with the Trojans quarterback yesterday, he told me that he could get all of us sideline passes for any home games we want to go to."

Santana's eyes bugged out of her head. "Are you kidding? That's awesome! See, I told you going to school would be a good thing!"

"I'm not going to school to give you and Puck free things," Quinn reminded. "I am enjoying the atmosphere and the people…" Quinn's line beeped and she looked at the caller ID, seeing her mother's name. "…hey let me call you back later, my mother's calling."

"Okay," Santana said hanging up. She ate her breakfast and jumped in the shower to get ready for her long Thursday shift.

* * *

><p>Brittany slept in until close to three that Friday afternoon to prepare for the nighttime shift. She was semi-nervous about the ride-along. She had never been on one before and she had heard many stories about Los Angeles. Growing up in a small town like Lima, you tend to miss most of the criminal activity that you hear about from larger cities in the country.<p>

Rachel helped her pick out an outfit from her wardrobe. It wasn't much, but she was going to be riding in a car for nearly 12 hours, so she wasn't looking for anything that would be too uncomfortable. They settled on a sleek pair of black dress slacks and a light blue button down top. Finding a nice pair of dress shoes that fit the outfit, Brittany was all set to go. She knew traffic might be bad heading to the station, so she left quite early to ensure she had plenty of time. With her purse and phone in her hand, she told Rachel she would see her tomorrow and she was out the door, missing the beep of her laptop indicating she had a new message.

Glad to have taken precautions in leaving earlier, Brittany arrived at the West LA police station on Butler close to 6:30. She had an hour or so until she had to be ready to meet with her officer, so she decided to read a book that she had lying in her car. Close to 7:15 she noticed officers approaching the station, so she decided to go inside. She stepped in and was directed to wait in the lobby area while the officers engaged in their roll call procedure.

She applied lip gloss and checked the reflection in her compact mirror. Looking around she noticed many plaques and awards given to the station for the work its employees had provided. After looking at the various ones on the wall, she made her way back to her seat as she heard the bustling of the officers in the roll call room indicating they were finished. She wasn't sure which officer was hers, so she waited quietly until one approached.

She heard voices getting closer to where she was sitting.

"Yeah, it's going to be a great game tomorrow, I bet twenty bucks though Oregon smacks the hell outta USC," a male had said.

"Not a chance," a woman's voice had countered. "I'll bet you double that Evans throws at least three scores, runs one in and stomps those ducks."

Brittany laughed at the antagonizing female.

"You got yourself a bet Lopez," the male said as he walked out to the lobby. He tipped his hat to Brittany and walked out of the station. A few seconds later the source of the female voice had stepped into the lobby and wrote down something as she addressed her.

"You supposed to be doing a ride-along tonight?" She was still looking down at her notepad.

"Yeah," Brittany replied mesmerized by the officer in front of her. Taking the other woman in, Brittany was sure she was dreaming.

Santana looked away from her notepad and looked over to Brittany. "I'm Officer…" she paused. She was captivated by the beauty of the girl in front of her. _Holy shit,_ she thought. "…um…Lopez, I'm Officer Lopez…Santana," she stuttered nervously as she stuck her hand out to the girl.

"Hi…I'm Brittany, Pierce." She jumped at the contact of Santana's hand as it grasped her own. "It's nice to meet you. I am a little confused. I was told I would be riding with an Officer Karofsky?" Santana thanked the sky above that she had been switched to work and got to spend the next eleven hours with this girl.

"Well, something came up, so they switched me in to work tonight. I usually work the day shift. If you would prefer to wait…"

"NO!" Brittany quickly declined, causing Santana to smile slightly. "I mean, I uh, I had to make sure I could schedule around work and this was the only time."

"Great, well let's get going, the streets are calling for us," Santana joked. Brittany smiled and followed the sexy cop out to her squad car where they would be together for the night.

_This oughta be interesting, _Brittany devilishly grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, so this didn't turn out the greatest, but i needed something to lead into the actual ride-along with Brittana. So that will be the full next chapter. Let me know how ya'll like it so far. I may or may not do Faberry...still iffy lol anyways, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to those who celebrate it. I will be stuffing my face after i work so i'm excited :)**


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey guys thanks for the patience. I am now officially done with my classes with just have a few finals Thursday. So that means more time to spend writing! I'm glad to see so many have set alerts and reviewed. I hope you like it as much as I like writing it. OH, omg, so I was out the other night with my friend and she gave me a newspaper article and I had to keep from squealing. Apparently an officer had been assigned to do a ride-along and he was instantly attracted to the girl, and they exchanged numbers and dated, getting married last month. I thought it was crazy to see something like that, especially because of this story haha. But it was cool.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Brittany watched amusedly as Santana meticulously cleaned the passenger side of her patrol car. After several attempts to tell her it was unnecessary, Brittany finally gave up and waited for the girl to finish.

"There, all good," Santana beamed as she stepped aside to let Brittany sit in the car. Brittany thanked her and sat down. With an armful of various items, Santana pushed the door shut and opened her trunk. She grabbed a bag and filled it with a few chip bags and empty soda bottles. Tossing the bag into a trash bin close by, Santana finally closed the trunk and slid into the driver's side. "You ready?" she asked Brittany.

Brittany nodded nervously. "Yeah, I think so."

Santana smiled at her and pulled open her laptop that had been on the stand hovering Brittany's lap. She adjusted it slightly so Brittany had room to move her legs.

"Ok, so first things first," Santana started. "I don't usually work in this area we are going to, so forgive me if it isn't exciting and action-packed as the movies."

"No, I don't expect that," Brittany giggled. "I mean, I know the difference of media and reality."

"Smart girl," Santana laughed. "Second, I play music often when I'm riding around, so if you don't like my music, feel free to request something." Santana handed her iPod to Brittany.

"I'm sure I'll be fine with anything you play," Brittany told her as she scanned through the massive music library. "You seem to have great taste."

Santana smiled and started the engine. She pulled out of the station and headed towards her zone. "Third, if and when we get a serious call, please do not get sick in my car, I will pull over, or give you a bag or something," Santana joked.

"Someone's done that in here?" Brittany scrunched up her face.

"Well I had a kid the other day from your class that puked his lunch out on the way to a call, luckily he made it outside of the car."

"Oh yeah, what did he look like?"

"He was very awkward looking, like too skinny to be that tall." Brittany laughed. "He has like Harry Potter styled glasses. And his hair was combed over with a bunch of hair gel."

"Oh my God, I sat next to him the first day, he was super weird. That's probably why he wasn't there Wednesday."

"Yeah that's the day I had him, he was a nice kid, but I don't think he enjoyed the ride too much," Santana laughed.

"So, where are we going?" Brittany asked as she looked out her window.

"Well, my area tonight is basically near the Hillcrest Country Club." She pulled up a map to show Brittany. Pointing at the screen, she explained. "From here, Overland Avenue, to Pico Boulevard where it connects to Motor Avenue, all the way back over to Overland again."

"That seems like a lot to cover. All of this area is just you?" Brittany asked. Santana shook her head.

"There are a few more officers that are designated over here too, I believe three more, but I could be wrong."

"Where do you usually have to work?"

"I'm usually in 8A35, right here," Santana explained as she opened a new map. "It's a lot smaller, but surprisingly a lot busier. Tonight I got switched, so I am not sure what to really expect over here."

Brittany nodded and pressed play on a playlist named _Car Mix._ Welcome to the Jungle by Guns & Roses began to play and Santana voiced her approval. After a few moments Santana lowered the volume to a whisper and looked over to Brittany. She was tapping her fingers against her legs to the music.

"So, Brittany, what got you interested in taking your criminal class?" Brittany looked at her and thought about it before answering.

"Well, I really wasn't sure what I wanted to do. I spent so many years dancing, so I decided on that when I got to college, but I hated it. So, my best friend and I spent hours looking through various degrees and I settled on crim justice."

"You dance? That's awesome. I wasn't too much of a dancer."

"I love dancing, it's freeing and expressive. The way the music fuels this, I don't know…" Brittany paused. "…my feelings. Being so carefree and spontaneous, it's awesome. But the teachers I had, they kind of ruined that with all the technical things." Santana nodded. "I just dance. I let the music move me."

"You go with the flow," Santana observed. Brittany smiled and nodded. "That's great. I'm sure you are very talented, and those teachers are always so snooty anyways."

"Yeah, dancing is supposed to be fun, and sexy, not so mechanical," Brittany added. "That is what cheerleading was for."

"You were a cheerleader?"

"Yeah, my high school was big on our cheerleading squad. We won the National Championship every year I was there. Were you?"

"Yeah I was, our squad didn't really have much to cheer for though. Our school was based on our arts programs. Especially our glee club, we were amazing," Santana reflected.

"No way, I was in my school's glee club!" Brittany excitedly told her. Santana laughed at the enthusiasm.

"That's crazy. Where are you from?" Santana asked.

"Lima, Ohio. I went to McKinley High School." Santana's eyes went wide.

"I went to Carmel High, that's insane. What a small world."

Brittany nodded as the computer beeped. Santana looked down at the screen and noticed Puck had sent her a message.

**How's working the bitch shift?**

Santana rolled her eyes and typed out a message. Brittany tried not to be rude as she noticed Santana's response. She smiled as she read the screen.

_**Pretty interesting already, my rider is totally cool. **_

"Sorry, one of my patrol buddies," Santana smiled. "We get bored and like to meet up during shifts, but he gets off in a few hours and we'll be over here."

"Sounds productive," Brittany teased.

**You haven't scared them off? You play any depressive shit yet?**

_**Nope, I let her pick the music. **_Santana looked up at Brittany and grinned.

**Wow, that's insane. She must be pretty cute for you to let her pick. I didn't get to control the music and look at me.**

Brittany blushed at the other officer's comment.

_**Ha ha exactly, look at yourself ;) I'll see you tomorrow. **_

Santana closed the message box and looked at the clock on her dash. It was just after 8:30pm. "Are you hungry, thirsty, anything?" Brittany shook her head.

"I made sure I ate before, just in case." Santana nodded.

"Well, let me know, because I'm sure after a few hours of nothing to do, you will be itching to get out of this car," she laughed. Brittany smiled and told her she would.

"What is like to be a cop?" Brittany asked.

"Well, it definitely wasn't something I had planned on being. It was kind of a random choice," Santana informed.

"How so?"

"In high school, I was set on musical theater. I loved to perform. But I wasn't sure that I would like it, so when I got to UCLA I picked criminal justice as my major. My brother had graduated from Ohio State as a CJ major. So, I figured it wouldn't be so bad. I took all of the classes, graduated early and joined the police academy. And now I'm here."

"That's not that random," Brittany told her. "Is your brother a cop too?" Santana bit her lip.

"No…" she paused. "…he died. He joined the military after he graduated and was killed in Afghanistan shortly after in an accident on his base." Brittany's mouth dropped as Santana spoke.

"Oh my God, San, I'm so sorry." Santana smiled slightly at the nickname. "I am an idiot for asking." Brittany quietly criticized herself as she pulled her face into her hands.

Santana pulled the car into the lot to the Country Club and parked. She turned so that she was facing Brittany and gently patted her shoulder. "Hey, don't be upset. There was no way you could've known."

Brittany jumped slightly at the touch. She pulled her face away from her hands and looked at Santana. "I'm still so sorry, I feel like a fool."

Santana pulled her hand away from Brittany's shoulder. "Don't, ok? I know you're sorry. I brought him up, so if anything it's my fault. So don't you worry your pretty little head about me," she said jokingly, hoping to make the girl feel less uncomfortable.

"Ok," Brittany whispered hesitantly. She clasped her hands together and rested them into her lap, unsure of how to break the slight tension in the car. "So, how long have you been a police officer?"

"Close to two years now, in November actually." Santana pulled a water bottle from the center console and took a long swig from it.

"Two years? Wow, you seem pretty young…" Brittany surveyed.

Santana chuckled. "Yeah, I am going to be twenty-three soon."

Brittany clapped her hands. "Yay, that's great! I love birthdays!" Santana groaned inwardly. She disliked birthdays. Trying not to be rude, Santana cheered somewhat enthusiastically. She didn't want to upset the girl next to her again.

"Yeah, sure do love aging," Santana mocked. Brittany stuck her tongue out at her.

"Any big plans?" Brittany asked as she watched Santana click an icon on the computer desktop.

"The usual, spend time with some friends, drink." She pulled open a background checker page and looked over to Brittany. "So, since for the time being we have nothing to do, do you have any friends you want to look up?"

"You can do that!" Brittany asked. Santana nodded with a smirk. "Well, let's see…ok…Rachel Berry."

Santana creased her eyebrows and typed the name in. After a few seconds the page refreshed showing three different listings for the name.

"There is more than one Rachel Berry in L.A?" Brittany asked surprisingly.

"I guess so." Santana laughed. "Which one is her, do you know her address?"

"Yeah, she's my roommate. It's this one," Brittany pointed at the screen. "1050 Wilshire Boulevard."

"You guys live in _Glo_?" Santana asked impressed.

"Yeah, it's amazing. We work at that Starbucks too, whenever we don't have classes. That's kind of why I had to come tonight for the ride-along."

"Well, then I'm glad I was switched to work tonight," Santana responded quickly, regretting the statement as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks. Brittany smirked as she tried to explain. "Well, because, um, Karofsky is lame and would bore you to tears."

"Right," Brittany teased with a wink. Santana rolled her eyes playfully and scrolled down the profile.

"Ok, so her driving record is ok, she had two speeding tickets last year," Santana studied. "Paid the first ticket and went to court to remove the points from the second ticket. And she was cited in May for…"

"Oh my God!" Brittany interrupted as she read the screen. "She was actually cited for that!"

They both burst out laughing, clutching their sides. Apparently Rachel was cited for cursing on a mini golf course in Long Beach.

"That…no way…" Brittany shook her head as tears fell down her cheeks. "That's not real…"

"It totally is, you would be surprised…" Santana explained as she tried to catch her breath. "There's a whole book of things you can and cannot do in certain cities and states. She must've made someone mad though, usually those silly things never get reported."

Brittany shook her head and made a mental note to taunt her roommate. Santana closed the browser as she heard her call number through the radio.

"A95-4, what is your location?" Santana reached for her radio and answered.

"A95-4. 10-20 is 10000 West Pico Boulevard." She looked over to Brittany who was fully engaged in what was happening.

"A95-4, there's a 415-S occurring at 2900 Overland Avenue. A95-2 and A95-6 will assist."

" A95-4, I have a 10-12, 10-49 to scene?" Brittany scrunched her nose. "It means I have a visitor, so do I proceed."

"A95-4, you are clear to proceed with your 10-12."

"A95-4. 10-4." Santana put down her radio and set her GPS to the address from the incident report that had popped onto her screen. She pulled out of the parking lot and sped towards the incident scene. "We, my friend, are heading to a house, where there is a disturbance call."

"Who called about that?" Brittany asked, looking at the details on the case report.

"The neighbors called. Down here…" Santana pointed at a box below that showed additional information. "…there is a BM, black male, and WF, white female involved. Neighbor heard banging and loud yelling."

"Sounds bad, only three officers?"

"We will see how bad it is once we get inside."

* * *

><p>Santana pulled into the street and parked her car behind the other squad car by the curb. "Ok, you stay in here, until I know it's secure for you to come inside, the doors will be locked."<p>

Brittany shook her head and Santana stepped out of the car. Hearing the doors lock, she made her way up to the house that had been reported. She could hear loud shouting from the outside, so she approached the front door quickly. Brittany watched her bang on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened to a tall black man.

"Hello, sir, I'm Officer Lopez. We got a call about some shouting and loud noises coming from here. May we come in?" Santana asked politely. The man stepped aside as he saw two other officers approach the door. She walked inside the main living room area and saw a woman sitting on the couch with mascara running down her face.

"I'm Officer Willis," the taller of the other officers introduced to the man. "This is Officer Price. What's your name?"

"Leonard Fisher," the man responded nervously.

"What's your name ma'am?" Officer Price asked. The woman on the couch wiped her face and looked up. She had a slight marking on the side of her face.

"Sharon Craven," she replied, looking at Leonard with disgust.

"So, who wants to start?" Santana asked looking between the two. "Sharon, what happened?"

"I was making dinner, after spending all day working, when Mr. Asshole over there…"

"Please refrain from name calling," Officer Willis instructed. She rolled her eyes.

"Fine, LEONARD, he came at me and starting yelling at me." She looked at Santana, who was standing next to the man in question. "He was mad that I didn't prepare dinner earlier, so he punched me here, right in the face."

"Bitch please," Leonard retorted, jumping from his seat on the couch on the other side of the room. "You are the one who started yelling and threw a pan at me."

"Sit down, Mr. Fisher," Officer Price warned. He turned to look at Sharon. "Ma'am is this true? Did you throw a pan at Mr. Fisher?"

She looked over at Leonard fearfully and back to Officer Price. "He was coming at me really fast, and he's much bigger than I am. What was I supposed to do?"

* * *

><p>While Brittany waited for Santana to return, she called Rachel. After three rings, her roommate answered.<p>

"Britt? What's up, aren't you supposed to be on your ride-along?"

"Yeah, my officer and two others are in the house dealing with a disturbance call right now, so I am in the car."

"Sounds fun," Rachel joked. "How's it going so far?"

"It's so fun, my officer is awesome. And she's super hot."

"Oh Barbra," Rachel groaned.

"What? I can't say that?"

"Well I guess since she's technically not your teacher it is ok. How old is she?"

"Twenty-two, about to turn twenty-three," Brittany told her. "She joined the force after graduating early from college."

"Wow, she's sounds badass." Brittany laughed.

"Speaking of badass, we totally looked up your record, who did you piss off at a mini-golf place to get a citation for cursing?"

* * *

><p>"Mr. Fisher, did you leave that mark on Ms. Craven's face?" Santana asked. He shook his head.<p>

"I didn't lay a hand on her, she's acting crazy!"

"Oh yeah, call me crazy you fucking lunatic," Sharon egged him on. "You can't admit that you're insane and freak out about the damn eggs not being cooked fast enough."

"Ms. Craven!" Officer Willis warned again. "Mr. Fisher, if you left the mark, we will have reasonable concern to take you in. Let's settle this like adults, and see that we don't have to arrest anyone tonight."

"I swear I did not touch her," Leonard insisted. "She got that mark at work two nights ago. One of her customers…" he paused, "…struck her when she refused to provide her services."

Santana held back a chuckle. "What do you do, Ms. Craven?"

Sharon looked over nervously at Santana and frowned. "I work at the strip joint down the street."

The three officers shook their heads simultaneously. They had calls like this all the time.

"So, is Mr. Fisher correct here when he says that you didn't receive the mark on your face from him?" Officer Price asked.

"He didn't hit me," Sharon bowed her head.

* * *

><p>Santana stepped out of the house and walked back to her car to get Brittany. When she reached the car, she unlocked the car and pulled open Brittany's door.<p>

"Hey, everything's good in there, did you want to come inside and observe?" Santana asked as she crouched down next to the car.

"Are you sure, I don't want to get in the way."

"You won't be in the way. Besides, the story is pretty juicy, may be good material to share for your class," Santana winked. Brittany smiled widely at her and stepped out of the car. She followed Santana back into the house as Officer Price was talking to Leonard in the corner of the living room. The woman on the couch looked up as the girls walked into the room.

"Who's the girl?" she asked as she lit a cigarette. Her eyes scanned over Brittany's body, which Santana didn't miss.

"This is Brittany, she's observing tonight," Santana informed, narrowing her eyes at the woman. "Behave, or I will for sure take you in for assault." Brittany's eyes widened at Santana's tone. It was completely different from the one she used in the car.

"Ok, so what were you fighting over?" Officer Willis asked with a small notebook in his hand.

"Well, I heard from my girl Sheila that Leonard over there was sleeping around. So I asked him about it, calmly, and he denied it, like he always does," Sharon stated matter-of-factly. Leonard rolled his eyes.

"Look, I already told you, I ain't sleeping around with nobody," he told her.

Brittany watched on as if she was watching some television show.

"If you ain't sleeping around with no hoes, then why did I find some panties in your dresser? Hmm? Mhmm, thought so," Sharon antagonized.

Brittany turned her head slightly to look at Santana, who seemed to be having a hard time keeping her face neutral. She bit her lip and watched the interaction between the fighting couple.

"I don't know you crazy woman. We do our laundry together. It must've gotten mixed in when clothes were put away."

"Ok, look," Officer Price interrupted, clearly frustrated. "You both live here, right?" They nodded. "Mr. Fisher, why don't you go for a walk, or drive? And give Ms. Craven here some space to cool down, and then work this out civilly."

"Yeah, ok, fine." Leonard agreed and grabbed his jacket. He looked over at Sharon and shook his head before thanking the officers and walking out.

"Good, that asshole needed to leave," Sharon grunted, finishing her cigarette.

"Ms. Craven, you know that we could take you in if Mr. Fisher decided to press charges?" Officer Willis asked. She nodded.

"We are giving you a warning, so don't make us come back again," Santana advised as she headed towards the door.

"Will you frisk me if you do come back, Officer?" Sharon flirted, causing Brittany to clench her jaw to keep from laughing.

Rolling her eyes, she motioned for Brittany to walk out before muttering a low, "sure with my taser."

The girls got back into the car and Santana sent information to dispatch about the incident. Once she was cleared, she looked over at Brittany.

"What…" Santana smiled. Brittany's contorted face broke, causing a stream of laughter to erupt. Santana watched as the girl next to her shook in her seat and joined in.

"Seriously, what was that?" Brittany asked when she was able to control her breathing. "That woman was unreal."

"You'd be surprised at how many of our calls are like that," Santana told her. Brittany shook her head as she wiped her eyes. "You tired already? It's only what, 9:50."

"No way," Brittany smiled. "I have until seven here. I'm having way too much fun for this to end so soon."

Santana blushed and looked out the windshield to see the other officers pull away. "As you can see, it can get quite entertaining here on the streets."

"Do you think they will fight when he gets back?" Brittany asked.

"I guess we'll see, he seemed to be ok though, just needed a break from the woman. I have never seen a woman try to act so ghetto in my life," Santana laughed.

* * *

><p>The ride went smoothly for the next few hours, as both girls grew fond of each other's company. Only having to handle a few smaller calls, Santana and Brittany spent much of the time playing little games. Brittany suggested they play the music guessing game, where she would play random songs and see if Santana could guess within ten seconds. After close to thirty songs, and perfect guesses by Santana, Brittany claimed the girl was a genius.<p>

Close to 1:30am, Santana and Brittany went to a McDonalds to get some food. Brittany insisted she wasn't hungry, while her stomach begged to differ. They both ordered a couple hamburgers with medium fries and large cokes.

"I am definitely not a believer in those nasty diet drinks," Santana told her as she pulled around to the drive through window. Brittany raked her eyes over Santana's backside as she lifted in her seat to pay the girl at the window.

"Definitely got nothing to worry about," Brittany whispered to herself. Santana looked back at her quickly, scaring Brittany. _Did she hear me? Oh my God, I'm such a tool._

"Britt…" Santana questioned as she stared.

"Yes?"

"Did you want any ketchup or anything?" Santana asked amusedly.

Brittany let out a breath of relief and nodded. "Ketchup please, thanks!"

Brittany pulled out a five dollar bill to hand Santana for her order but was shooed away.

"Don't worry about it," Santana persisted.

"Fine, then I'll just owe you," Brittany fought back. Santana raised her eyebrows and looked like she was about to say something when the cashier pushed a bag through the window.

"Thank you so much for stopping by McDonalds, have a great night," the girl thanked sarcastically before slamming the window shut. They both rolled their eyes.

Santana handed the bag over to Brittany and pulled into an empty spot. "You don't mind eating in the car do you?"

"Not at all," Brittany replied.

"So, Brittany, tell me, what do you think you want to do when you get out of college?"

"Well, I've always had an interest in children," she said as she applied ketchup to her burger. She looked up to see Santana giving her a look. She shoved her playfully. "Not like that silly. You always hear about those kids in bad areas, you know, never getting a good education. They have nearly no one to look up to, or learn from. It's so sad. I want to work with them, maybe like in a center where they can go when they don't feel safe at home. Learn things like extracurricular activities. Sports, dance, singing, stuff like that where they could feel good about themselves." Santana grinned widely at her. "What?"

"That sounds really great, Brittany. You would be perfect for something like that," Santana told her. "Granted I have only known you for a few hours, but you seem like someone who gets along with many people and have them wrapped around your finger." Brittany shook her head. "Seriously, most people want to get out of college, make big money, and get away from the deprived areas. Yet you are selfless, wanting to make a difference in others' lives. I'm impressed."

Brittany blushed at the compliment. "What did you want to do when you got out of college?" she asked taking a bite from her burger. "Become an officer and get awesome people to ride with?"

Santana giggled and put her drink down. "Seriously? Well, when I was thirteen, my best friend Tina was beaten by her father, a lot, and she was always scared to call the cops. She would come to school, wearing long-sleeved shirts and kept to herself. One night I decided I was going to stay over her house. I didn't like my friend being hurt in her own home. I thought of myself as quite the badass, especially at thirteen. So we get to her house, her dad wasn't home, so we hung out in her room. Around eight that night, her dad got home and marched up to the bedroom and pushed open the door. He was holding something in his hand, I couldn't tell what it was right away, but I knew he was going to try and hit her with it."

Brittany had stopped eating as she listened to Santana, watching as the girl seemed to be replaying the event in her head.

"He yelled at her, asking who I was. I looked over at Tina. She had tears in her eyes, so I spoke up. I told him my name and how I didn't like what he had been doing. He called me a little bitch and stepped closer to us. I had been prepared just in case he tried anything while I was there, so when he got close enough, I pulled out the metal bat I hid under the bed and swung at him, hitting him in the legs. He fell to the ground and winced in pain. I told Tina to call the cops as I hovered over him. He tried to move, so I hit him in the back twice. I had quite the swing," Santana shrugged.

"What happened after that?" Brittany asked.

"Well, I guess when I hit him his hand dropped whatever he was holding. When the cops got there and got control of him, they looked under the bed and found a 9 millimeter handgun. It had two bullets in the clip. Apparently he was going to shoot Tina and then himself. He didn't know I was going to be there." She bit her lip and ran a hand across her face nervously. "He had lost his job not too long before that and his wife left him and Tina. Stress I guess got to him. I guess even then I hated seeing others in danger and wanted to be someone who could help."

Brittany was speechless. She wasn't sure what to say, so she just let Santana speak first.

"Anyways, I got completely annihilated by my family once they heard what I did. They were freaking out at me, saying I could've gotten seriously hurt but I didn't care. I wanted to protect my friend, and if that meant I get cursed out in Spanish…" Santana laughed to ease the situation. Brittany reached over to grab Santana's hand that kept fidgeting between the gear shift and steering wheel. Santana looked down at the hand and felt a wave of security rush over her.

"I think it is unbelievably brave. And selfless," Brittany complimented. "Some would even say you are a hero." Santana looked up at Brittany. "I'm sure Tina felt super lucky to have someone like you." She squeezed Santana's hand gently and let go, already missing the feeling.

"Thank you."

"Do you still keep in contact with her?" Brittany asked.

"She was sent to live with her mother after the incident. Apparently she had moved out of the country after her and her husband split. I haven't heard anything about her. Actually, you are the only person I've talked about it with, besides my family," Santana admitted.

"Well, I will make sure I keep it to myself," Brittany reassured her. "You know, I saved someone once."

Santana perked up. "Oh yeah?"

"Yep, when I was eight years old my best friend Rachel had been kissed on her cheek by two boys. She was sure she was going to die, but then I gave her a double injected cootie shot and she was fine," Brittany shrugged playfully. "No big deal."

Santana feigned shock. "Wow Brittany Pierce, you are the definition of the American Hero. I'll be sure to find you whenever I get an icky boy's germs on me," she mocked. They both laughed and continued to eat their late night dinner.

Brittany smiled as she ate her food. There was something about Santana that was really attractive. She knew it was definitely more than just a physical attraction. Sure her body, for what she could tell, was flawless, and her face, well she was gorgeous. But the way she presented herself. That was what really interested Brittany. Santana seemed to be very down to earth, knowing exactly what she wanted and not letting anything stop her. She seemed to be oozing with confidence. Not in a cocky way, but in a way that allowed people to strive to be like her.

As for Santana, Brittany was a pleasant surprise. She hadn't expected to have such a great time with any of the students she was supposed to drive around for twelve hours. With nearly half of the shift already over, Santana was actually dreading when she had to drop the girl off. Brittany was great company. She was really easy to talk to, which was frightening because Santana doesn't usually share personal things with anyone, and she had already revealed two major things about her life to a complete stranger. The particular shade of blue of Brittany's eyes was enticing. Santana caught herself staring a few times while Brittany had been talking, or especially when she was laughing. Her laugh was infectious and she wanted nothing more to hear it again.

* * *

><p>They finished their food and Santana drove aimlessly around the streets of her area, waiting on something to respond to. She loved Brittany's company, but she was anxious for a call and was sure Brittany had been too.<p>

Brittany pulled Santana's iPod into her lap and picked some music to play. Adele's _Someone Like You_ began playing.

"You should sing to this," Brittany suggested.

"No way," Santana giggled. "I don't want to ruin the song with my voice."

"Please," Brittany pouted. "We are bored…and besides, you were in the glee club at your school, and a musical theater major…you can't have _that_ bad of a voice."

"You had me at _please." _Brittany smiled. "Glad to see you remembered my life story," she teased.

She began to sing along with Adele, not quite as loudly, but enough for Brittany to hear. When the chorus began, Brittany joined in, the two of them belting out the lyrics loudly like two teenagers on their way to the mall.

"Wow, you really are a great singer," Brittany complimented as the song ended.

"You aren't so bad yourself. Did your team ever place in competition?"

"Yeah we won Nationals my junior and senior year. As a matter of fact, we lost to Carmel High the two years before then." Brittany put the thoughts together in her head. "Oh my god, you and your team beat us both times!"

Santana had to think about it, it seemed like a lifetime away. "Did you have like, a little diva girl as your lead? Oh goodness, that was 'the' Rachel Berry, wow that's funny!"

"Yeah Rachel is definitely like that. This is insane, what are the chances?"

"I know. I can't believe this. Wait," Santana slowed the car a little bit and turned to her. "You aren't stalking me, are you?"

Brittany narrowed her eyes at Santana and laughed. "No, I am not stalking you."

"Good, I mean just because I led my team to championships, no need for jealousy," she teased.

"Very funny, _officer_," Brittany mocked.

Santana took a sip from her drink. "Well let's call it fate, both of us Ohio natives coming to the lovely place that is Los Angeles and spending an uneventful Friday night in a squad car."

"Fate has laid a hand," Brittany agreed.

"A95-4, what is your location?" Santana pumped her fist in the air, glad to finally have a call.

"A95-4, 10-20 is at the intersection of Motor Avenue and Lorenzo Drive."

"A95-4, the 415-S call from twenty-one hundred hours needs an officer again."

"A95-4, 10-4" Santana responded waiting for the screen to show the case file.

"The same call from earlier? Really?" Brittany asked.

"Yeah it looks like there are two males and a female at the same house yelling now," Santana observed. "This will be interesting." She sped off after noticing the priority of the call was higher than before. She flicked on her lights and sirens and Brittany held on to the side of the seat to keep upright. "Sorry about that."

"It's all good. I wonder what crazy Sharon is up to now," Brittany smiled.

They pulled up to the house to see the front door wide open and the neighbor's porch light on. Santana motioned for Brittany to stay inside the car again. She looked for her backup and after a few seconds of nothing, she walked up to the neighbor's house, seeing an older woman dressed in a nightgown.

"Hello, ma'am, was it you who called about this house over here?"

"Yes, I did, they have been hollering for over thirty minutes now. I swear, they were loud earlier, but now they are even louder," the woman complained.

"Do you know who the third person is? Mr. Fisher, Ms. Craven and another person, am I correct?" The woman shook her head.

"It could be Leonard's brother. He stays there from time to time."

"Thank you ma'am," Santana told her as she approached. She had heard light yelling when she first walked towards the neighbor, but now she was hearing loud crashing noises. She ran through the open door and pulled out her gun. She didn't see anyone in the main living room area, so she walked down the hallway to a bedroom. She pushed the door open and yelled in at the three in the room.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Sharon was sitting upright in the bed clutching a sheet to her chest as Leonard was punching at another black male. Santana put her gun away and pulled Leonard away from the stranger. "Let me go, I'm gonna kill him," Leonard threatened as he fought to pull away from her grip.

"You won't do anything," the other man taunted as he held his hand up to his bloody nose. At this point, another officer came in and observed the area. He grabbed the other man, who was shirtless and pants had been unfastened at his waist.

"What is going on _now_ Sharon?" Santana asked, tired of seeing the woman already.

Sharon pulled on a shirt that was on the floor and stepped out of the bed. She grabbed a cigarette from the nightstand that was still lit in the ashtray and brought it to her lips.

"That tramp tried to assault me earlier, and when I come home, I find her in bed with my brother," Leonard yelled while still being held back by Santana.

"Enough!" Santana shouted at him, backing him into a corner. "Look, as insensitive as this may sound, if she's cheating on you, in your own home, just dump her ass and move on."

"You can't do that to me, you son of a bitch!" Sharon exclaimed as she stalked forward towards Leonard. She wound her hand back to slap him and Santana caught her arm mid-swing. "Let me go you crazy pig!" She attempted to slap Santana with her other hand, causing Santana to swing her around and handcuff her.

"No way you are staying here tonight," Santana told her as she resisted the cuffs.

"I didn't do anything wrong, those two were fighting."

"You tried to assault an officer, and you are resisting right now, don't test me," Santana growled. She sat her down on the bed and turned to the other officer. "You think you can handle them? I'll send another officer over?" He nodded and Santana dragged Sharon out of the house towards the car.

Brittany looked up from her phone to see Santana walking Sharon out. "What the…"

Santana pulled the backdoor open and pushed Sharon inside gently. "You disappointed me Sharon, thought we had an understanding."

Sharon huffed in the backseat and looked back and forth at the two in the front of the car. "Hey darling," she greeted Brittany. Brittany kept quiet, unsure of what to say to someone being arrested.

"You don't talk to her," Santana turned around facing Sharon. "You stay quiet, and you won't get more than the night in jail."

"Yeah, yeah, sorry…" Sharon apologized. Santana radioed in, letting dispatch know they were bringing someone in.

* * *

><p>After booking Sharon for the night, Santana and Brittany spent the following two hours driving through various neighborhoods looking around for any suspicious activity. They sat in a comfortable silence, listening to various songs. Every once in a while they would ask questions about each other. They stuck with harmless categories, such as favorite musical artists and sports teams.<p>

When 6am rolled around, Santana noticed Brittany was getting tired. She took in how Brittany's yawns were lasting longer and her eyelids were drooping down slightly.

"Hey, you have lasted all night, would you like me to drive you back to the station now?" Santana asked.

Brittany yawned again. "No, it's ok. I wouldn't want to miss anything in the last hour."

"I doubt that'll happen," she smiled.

"Ok, well then I don't want to leave you bored for your last hour," Brittany pointed out. Santana felt her pulse elevate at the statement.

"Well, ok, if you insist," Santana said, inwardly celebrating. She wasn't ready to part ways with the blonde yet.

"How do you handle these long shifts?" Brittany asked yawning again.

"Caffeine, it's a must. Good music. And knowing that I won't have to work until Monday usually helps."

"That's good, I would die," Brittany shrugged.

"Yeah, trust me I'm definitely not as nice on these shifts. I hated the night shift my first year."

Santana noticed Brittany was dozing off again, so she played some music to help her sleep. She wasn't going to make the girl fight to stay awake. She chose her favorite playlist and picked Billy Joel's _Vienna_. She loved the song and it always helped her fall asleep.

Forty-five minutes later Brittany woke up to see that they were sitting in the police station's parking lot. Santana was filing her nails as she lightly hummed the melody of the song on the radio.

"How long was I sleeping?" Brittany asked.

"Not long. I was about to wake you though, the longer you slept, the longer I would be in the car," Santana winked.

"I'm sorry," Brittany mumbled as she wiped her eyes.

"Well, Ms. Pierce, you are officially off the clock, how does it feel to have survived a full shift?"

"It was awesome, you were a great instructor!" Brittany smiled.

"I hope it wasn't too boring, besides crazy lady, there wasn't too much to do."

Brittany waved her off. "No way, it was amazing. I had a really great time with you." Santana smiled back and took out her notepad. She scribbled something down and tore out the sheet. "Here, just in case, you, uhh…you want to ride again…here is my contact information," she stuttered.

Brittany blushed and took the sheet from Santana. "Thanks, I definitely will!" She sat in the car for a few moments longer, neither girl wanting to break eye contact. Finally Brittany opened the door and stepped out. Santana watched her walk to her car and open the door. Without thinking she jumped out of her car and called out to Brittany.

"Hey, Britt…Brittany, do you need me to like, follow you to make sure you get home safely?" Sure it was desperate, but she didn't care.

"Thanks, but I think I'll be fine," Brittany beamed. "See you around Officer Lopez." She winked and got into her car. Santana watched her pull away and pinched herself for sounding so dumb.

"Really? Lopez…get it together." She got into her car and drove to her apartment where she would sleep in until the football game that night.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah i know, why so long haha...i guess i needed more time to show them on their ride...17 pages later and i'm worn out haha...next chapter will be a lot of Sam's POV for his game, along with SantanaPuck at the game, as well as Rachel/Brittany. lemme know what ya think. :)**


	7. Chapter 6

**So I can't even begin to explain my hectic life since my last update! School stuff, NEW JOB, same first job…I have had literally no free time or energy since mid-December, but I went and bought a Sony Vaio the other day, so now I'll work on writing and updating between classes and work. Hope ya'll enjoy :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

It was game day. This game could be a deciding factor in the future of Sam Evans. And for the first time in his life, he was nervous. Doubts were swarming in his mind. _Am I good enough? Will I succeed or will I let everyone down?_

Waking up at six that morning, Sam decided to take a run to clear his mind. As he stepped out of the shower after his three mile run, he heard the phone ring. Without checking the caller ID, he flipped open his phone.

"Hello?"

"Sammie are you excited?" Sam smiled. His little brother's voice rang through the phone as he excitedly wished him luck.

"Yes Stevie, I am really excited. Kind of nervous though. It's a huge game."

Hearing a knock on the door, Sam pulled on a pair of sweatpants and rushed to the door. "I gotta go buddy, I'll call back before the game."

His face lit up as his two siblings crashed into him. He bent to his knees to hug them and looked up to see his parents walking in.

"What are you guys doing here!" Sam beamed. "I thought you guys wouldn't be able to make it?" he asked as he pulled his parents into a hug.

"You think we would miss your first major start, in the biggest game of the year?" Dwight asked.

"What about work?" Sam asked. He knew his dad was struggling with some of their bills.

"Honey," Mary started. "We decided it would be best to sell the house. We have had a lot of interested buyers, some willing to pay much more than the asking price."

Sam frowned. "Where are ya'll going to live?"

"I've been offered a transfer position, out in San Diego. If I take it, I'll be making nearly three times what I was making back in Lima. We move next week," Dwight explained. Sam pulled him into a hug.

"I'm so happy for you dad," Sam whispered. "You deserve this."

Dwight pulled away and rustled his eldest son's hair. "Speaking of deserving things, you ready to stomp some ducks?"

"Yeah, I think I am pretty prepared. It's insane. This whole game could be such a life-changing experience."

"I think you are gonna do awesome Sammie," Stacie predicted as she hugged Sam's leg.

"Well, if you say so, then it must be true," Sam joked as he lifted her up into his arms. "I don't have to be down at the stadium until about 4pm today, you guys want to go get breakfast?"

Dwight checked his watch. "That sounds good. We have some stuff to do before the game, so after breakfast we can go take care of that."

Sam put Stacie down and ran into his room to get changed. He couldn't believe that his family was moving closer to him. He missed them all dearly and was certainly glad that he would be able to see them more often than holidays. As he stepped out of his bedroom he thanked God for such an amazing start to an important day.

* * *

><p>"Seriously, what do you want Puckerman?" Santana groaned into her phone. It was only 11:30am and she had only had three or so hours of sleep.<p>

"Damn girl, who's up your…"

"Don't finish that statement." Santana threatened. She rubbed her eyes as Puck laughed into the phone.

"Well, I was just calling to ask what time we were heading to the stadium for the game."

Santana rolled her eyes and sat up in her bed. "Dude, seriously, it's not even starting until like 8:30 tonight. That's almost five more hours of sleep I can add."

"Oh don't be a big baby," Puck whined playfully.

"Screw you, I'm sorry I got off work at seven this morning," Santana bit back.

"Ain't my fault you got suckered into ride-alongs. How'd it go?" Puck asked.

"It went ok, nothing out of the ordinary," Santana lied. Truth is, she had an amazing day. Or night, whichever one you could classify it as. She thought back to the girl that had made her smile continuously throughout their time together. Twelve hours sure felt a lot shorter than it usually did, and now that she had finished her full shift, Brittany probably would never be heard from again. She shook her head as she cursed herself for being a coward.

"Earth to Santana…" Puck muttered, shaking Santana from her thoughts.

"What…"

"Where'd you go off to?" Puck asked.

"I fell asleep listening to you talk. I feel bad for the girls that have to listen to you after you sleep with them. Must be a doozy," Santana retorted.

"Whatever, I haven't heard anyone complain," Puck argued. "I'm going to let you sleep so "Snix" doesn't come after me. I'll be over around 4:30 to wake your ass up."

"Sounds good," Santana mumbled as she ended the call. She looked at the clock on her bedside table and calculated how much sleep she would get before Puck came over. Seeing that she had close to five hours, Santana set her alarm and fell back into her pillow and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

><p>When Brittany arrived back to her apartment close to 7:30 that morning, Rachel had already been awake and eating breakfast.<p>

"Morning sunshine," Rachel said in between bites of her whole grain cereal. Brittany grimaced at the thought of cereal that didn't come with sugarcoated pieces. "How'd it go with the hot cop?"

Brittany smiled as she reflected back to the last 12 hours. "It was amazing, but I'm exhausted." Rachel nodded and stood up to place her empty bowl into the sink.

"I want to hear about it all, but you need sleep first," Rachel pointed out. "I'll wake up you up, what time?"

Brittany checked her phone for the time. "I should be good with seven hours, so around two I guess."

"Okay, well get your behind to bed. We are meeting up with Sam's family later on. They are surprising him in a little bit."

"No way, they came!" Brittany asked.

"Yep, Sam's going to be so happy to see them," Rachel smiled. She spoke with his mother the night before and she explained everything.

"Awe, yay, he's going to freak! I know how much he's missed them." Brittany yawned, causing Rachel to shove her into the direction of her bedroom.

"I am not going alone, nor am I going to the game without you, so go get your big dancing booty to bed," Rachel instructed.

Brittany proceeded to her room as she stuck her tongue out at her best friend. When she changed into her comfy clothes, she wondered what Santana was doing. Surely she had to be tired too, having been up for close to sixteen hours.

As she brushed her teeth and washed her face, she wondered if she would ever see the girl had felt at such ease with the girl, even though they had never met before. Everything about her was intriguing, and she wanted to get to know the girl. Making a point to get in contact with Santana again, Brittany climbed into bed and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>"Rachel, Brittany, it's so good to see you girls," Mary squealed as she hugged the girls. "How have you been?"<p>

"Good," they replied in unison.

They had met up with the Evans family, sans Sam, at the stadium for the pregame pep rally. The fans had been piling in since 4:30, all excited to see their home team defend their number one spot.

"Well, I'm sure Rachel's filled you in Brittany," Dwight smiled. Brittany nodded and kissed Stacie's cheek as she pulled her up into her arms.

"It's amazing, I'm so happy for you guys. Sam's missed his family more than he's let on. Every chance he gets, he brings you up," Brittany told him.

Dwight kissed his wife on her forehead. "He's a great man. And he's got two amazing friends, I'll forever be grateful for all you both have done for him over the years."

Rachel and Brittany looked at each other and smiled.

"Brittany, how's dance going?" Stacie asked. Frowning, Brittany answered.

"Well, I kind of stopped dancing for a little bit."

"Why?"

"I've decided to choose a different field in school," Brittany explained.

"What have you chosen, dear?" Mary asked.

"Criminal Justice, it's sort of a random choice, but I think I will enjoy the field."

"You would be an awesome cop," Stevie insisted.

"I don't know about all that," Brittany laughed as she set Stacie down.

"You have plenty of time to figure that all out," Dwight told her. "I have a few buddies that got their degree in that field, they went on to great things, so there's no doubt about you."

"Thanks Mr. Evans," Brittany blushed.

"Oh no, not Mr. You girls have known us how long now? It makes me feel so old, and I'm really hip," Dwight joked as he formed a 'gangsta pose.'

They all laughed at the goofiness that the man displayed. When it came time to enter the stadium, the group of six made their way towards the lower level seating where Sam scored them seats directly behind the players' benches.

* * *

><p>Each clutching a beer in both hands, Santana and Puck made their way down to the lower bowl seats that Ashley had given them. The seats were close to the thirty yard line, thirteen rows from the field.<p>

Turning it to camera mode and pointing it at the field, he snapped some pictures. After a few shots of the scoreboard, he held the phone out in front of him. "Take a picture with me?"

"You are so lame, Puckerman." Santana rolled her eyes but leaned in closer to her friend. They smiled into the lens and he snapped the picture.

"We'd be such a hot couple," Puck joked. Santana flipped him off and swallowed a good portion of her beer.

"You're going to upload that to Facebook, aren't you?" Seeing Puck nod, she giggled and looked around the stadium as it filled up. "Hey, isn't that the Trojan's quarterback right there?" she asked as she pointed over towards the benches where many of the players were standing.

Puck followed her line of vision and nodded. "Yeah that's him. He's in the early running for Heisman this season. Let's go talk to him, I brought my badge," Puck insisted as he flashed his badge.

Santana started to get up when she felt her phone start to ring. Seeing her mother on the caller id, she told Puck to go ahead.

Puck made his way down to the bottom of the section and motioned for the officer standing at the barricade to come closer.

"Hey man, I'm a friend of Ashley Nelson's. She told me to meet up with her before the game, is that cool?" Puck asked as he flashed his badge. The officer glanced at him and his badge before finally allowing him to jump down. There was still close to two hours before the game, so what trouble could he cause?

Puck made his way towards the benches where he noticed Ashley standing off to the side with her camera crew. He made his way towards her and tapped her shoulder. When she turned around, she scrunched up her face.

"Don't I know you?" she asked.

"Just a friend of a friend," Puck told her. She nodded with a confused expression on her face. "I am Santana's former patrol partner."

"Oh, that's right, Hickman, right?"

"Puckerman. Noah, but I go by Puck. Anyways, I heard you were interviewing Sam Evans before the game, any chance I can meet the guy?"

Ashley narrowed her eyes. "First of all, what makes you think I have that power? And second, what's in it for me?"

"I was just asking, friend to friend." Puck held his hands up in defense. "I'm a big fan."

"Tell you what, get that partner of yours to meet me at my house tonight and I'll introduce you to the whole team after the game."

"That's what I like to hear," Puck smiled. "I'll talk to her." Ashley nodded and turned around.

As Puck walked back towards his section, he noticed a blonde boy in the first row with a Trojans jersey tossing a miniature football with a tall blonde girl. The boy tried to catch a higher toss but missed, watching the ball sail over the barricade. Puck picked it up and tossed it to the kid.

"Thank you," the girl smiled. He winked and continued on his way. When he reached his seats again, he noticed Santana wasn't in the greatest of moods.

"What's wrong?" Puck asked. It was rare for him to see his friend like this.

"Nothing," Santana told him. When he raised his eyebrows, she huffed. "My parents want to know why I haven't visited in over a year, and want to come here."

"That's it?" Puck shrugged. "Doesn't seem like a big deal, San."

"You don't know my parents, Noah," she frowned. "They are gonna just try and get me to quit the force like they have tried for the past few months since I got shot."

"Lopez, you are the most stubborn, persistent person I've ever met, aside from Quinn," he laughed earning a smile from her. "You are amazing at what you do, and they know it, they are just scared for you. Don't let them worrying about your safety impact your decision to stay on the force. You are incredibly brave and we all look up to you."

Santana felt her heart swell. How was she so lucky to have such an amazing person in her life? Wiping her eyes that were filled slightly with unshed tears, Santana grabbed her beer and held it up in the air.

"Let's drink and watch our team dominate."

* * *

><p>Sam paced the sideline as the time to start the game approached. The stadium was filled with fans from both schools, cheering loudly as the pregame entertainment was going on. He looked over to his family and friends in their seats. They were watching the field animatedly. He tossed a football to his lead receiver, Matt Rutherford before heading over to the first row.<p>

"SAMMIE!" Stevie and Stacie cheered as he got closer. When he was close enough he pulled his siblings into a hug.

"You stink already," Stacie grimaced.

"You try wearing all this extra stuff, under all these lights," Sam quipped. "Britt, how'd last night go?"

"It went well," Brittany answered. "Seriously you are forty-five minutes to the start of the game and you want to hear about my night?"

"I need to keep my mind fresh," Sam answered. "The team is counting on me."

"You're gonna do amazing Sam," Rachel hugged him. "Score a goal."

"Rach, that's soccer," Sam pinched her shoulder lightly.

"I'm sorry I don't keep up with athletic vocabulary. Anyways, do well out there, I don't want a repeat of last year when I couldn't feel my arm for a week," she said glaring at Brittany.

"What, I was nervous for Sam," Brittany mumbled.

"You're going to do great son," Dwight told him. "Stay focused out there, remember to fight hard until the clock ticks zero-zero."

"I will, thanks guys," Sam pulled on his helmet. "I've got to get warmed up with Matt. I'll see ya'll a little later."

"GOOD LUCK SAMMIE," the younger siblings screamed over the marching band.

After tossing the football with Matt for ten minutes, Sam was approached by Ashley.

"Samuel Evans, can I get a quick interview for ESPN?" she asked, sticking her hand out.

Sam shook her hand gently. "Yeah, that sounds ok."

She motioned for her crew to get ready as she ran a quick hand through her hair. "Sam Evans tonight could very well be the start of a very promising future. What have you done to prepare yourself for this game?"

"Well, I've spent all offseason training for this. I've studied the playbooks continuously, watched hundreds of hours of video footage, and worked out twice as hard this offseason to come in and take on the starting position."

"There have already been talks of both the Heisman board and NFL scouting looking at you," Ashley paused. "Have you given any thoughts to if you will be entering the draft after this season?"

Sam shook his head. "Honestly, I plan on first getting through this season the best way I can. I want to finish my degree also, so I'll be focusing on that and hopefully being successful in leading my team to a National Championship before I start thinking of the NFL."

"Alright, well good luck out there," Ashley smiled. "We'll drop by after the game."

"Thank you." Sam pointed out towards his family one more time before heading through the tunnel with his team.

* * *

><p>"Dude, your girl has got the mean hookup on seats," Puck complimented as he gulped down a large amount of his third beer.<p>

"She's not 'my girl' though," Santana argued. She smirked as she took in the amazing view. "Not gonna lie, but I could get used to these seats."

"Hell, if a girl got me these tickets, I'd hook up with her too." Santana laughed and shoved him playfully. "Seriously though, what's up with you two? She's been around a lot."

Santana pulled the beer to her lips and thought about the question. What was she doing with Ashley? Were they dating, or was it just meaningless, continuous sex?

"I'm not really sure," Santana answered truthfully. "I guess I like her."

"Shit, look at Lopez growing up," Puck grinned. "Really though, give it a chance, you'll never know if you never try."

"Ok Adele, thanks for the pep talk."

"Evans is kind of quiet right now," Puck commented. Agreeing with him, Santana pulled her phone out. Ashley had texted her about coming over after the game. Puck leaned over slightly to read the screen.

"Mind your business much?" Santana asked as she leaned away.

"I was just seeing…" Puck trailed off.

"Seeing what?" She was confused.

"If you were…going to go over to her house tonight…" Puck spoke nonchalantly.

"Why would you care if I did? What's going on?" she asked knowing something was up. When Puck continued to stare at the field, Santana folded her arms across her chest. "I don't think I will. I was thinking about your advice and now I feel like I owe it to her to _not_ lead her on." _Wait for it, _she thought to herself.

"No you have to…" Puck begged. She raised her eyebrows at his groveling. "Ok, fine, I went down there to see if she could get me with Sam before the game. She said if I could get you to her house tonight that she'd let me meet the whole team after the game."

"I can't believe you," Santana giggled. "Sacrificing my body so you can meet the team? Unbelievable Puck."

"I didn't say I was proud of it," he shrugged. "So will you go? Or at least tell her you will so that we can meet the team?"

"What are you, ten years old? Most of those players are younger than you," she pointed out. Seeing that he wouldn't get rid of his pouting expression, Santana groaned. "Fine, I'll tell her that I'll go over there, and then maybe I'll break the news to her."

"Sounds good," Puck accepted.

Santana rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>Sam stood in the middle of the locker room, surrounded by his teammates. The second half was just about to start and the Trojans were down 28-14. Needing to spark some energy into their attitudes, Sam began to tell them a story.<p>

"My dad has struggled for a long to pay the bills, to keep food on the table. He's bounced around, taking all the jobs he can get to help provide my family with a better life. People have gotten promoted over him, beaten him out of better pay raises, but he never quit. He taught me that if you want something bad enough, you have to fight to your last breath to make sure you get it. I don't give up, and I don't think any of you do either. I don't want to disappoint any of those people in the stands. We have a brand new half to make names for ourselves. We have two quarters to turn this game around. Let's go show them who the best team in the country is!"

The team cheered together and rallied around their quarterback. The change in their attitudes was present as they took the field to receive the ball.

"Hopefully they can get something started quickly," Brittany mentioned to Rachel who was busy tapping her fingers to the Trojans fight song.

"Oregon's playing one hell of a game," Dwight added. "They are going to be tough to stop. We need to score here. It'll boost the moral for the rest of the game."

Mary was walking Stevie and Stacie down to their seats, hot dogs and drinks in tow. "Here you go girls, some drinks and snacks."

Taking a hot dog and coke, Brittany thanked her and directed her attention back to the field. Rachel handed Brittany her hot dog and pulled out a bag of celery sticks from her purse. Brittany turned to look at her friend and laughed.

"What?" Rachel asked as she crunched down on the stick.

* * *

><p>Santana and Puck nearly clutched each other the whole third quarter as they watched Sam work his magic on the field. After leading their team to a passing touchdown their opening drive of the second half, he was nearly unstoppable, completing 13 of 15 passes. He had thrown two touchdown passes in the third quarter and ran one in himself to put the Trojans up by seven points with a quarter left to go. The defense had been amazing, allowing Oregon out of their field position only one possession.<p>

"This is more like it," Santana smiled as the band played through their set. "USC's got this in the bag."

"I sure hope so. Evan's is on fire right now, and Oregon's playing so soft," Puck observed. "I cannot believe that Quinn got to have lunch with him."

"I know right," Santana agreed. "I'd be super jealous if I were you too."

Puck squinted as he tried to decipher what that meant. "What do you mean? Does Quinn like him?"

"Chill loser, I was talking about you being jealous of Quinn," Santana laughed. Puck flipped her off and grabbed his water. After the first half they both decided to be responsible fans and sip water just in case the game didn't go as planned.

He took a lengthy sip and then screwed the top back on the bottle. "So, did you text her?"

"Who?" Santana played innocent. "Ashley? Yeah I told her I'd meet her at her house after the game."

"What about going to the locker room?"

"And deal with smelly boys? Ha, no, I work with you enough."

"Whatever, I smell awesome."

* * *

><p>Sam ran over to his family when there was only two minutes left on the game clock. He and his team were up by four touchdowns, so he had no need to be in the game and risk injury. He jumped up onto the barricade and pulled his father in for a hug.<p>

"Great game son, I knew you could do it," Dwight proudly whispered to his son. Sam pulled away and kissed his mother on the cheek before pulling his brother and sister into his arms.

"Sammie, you were so awesome!" Stacie told him excitedly.

"You are like the best quarterback ever," Stevie complimented. "You killed it out there."

"Thanks guys, but it wasn't just me. My team and I did this. It's awesome though!"

Brittany and Rachel each congratulated him before he had to make his way back to the benches.

"He did so well tonight," Brittany beamed. "There's no way they'll be stopped if he plays like that every game."

"He's going to have quite the future," a fan next to her predicted. "Probably will be the Heisman winner if that performance is any indicator of the season."

They all cheered as the final seconds ticked down and fireworks erupted through the night sky.

"Alright guys, let's get down to the players area so we can see Sam before we go back to the hotel," Mary motioned to her kids. She turned to Rachel and Brittany. "Are you guys going down too?"

"Of course," Rachel told her. "It's like tradition for us."

They all grouped together and waited in the team hallway for the players to change.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes and no voices later, Puck and Santana made their way to the tunnel under the stadium.<p>

"You sure you don't want to meet the team San? It'll be awesome." She shook her head and he sighed. "Fine, don't regret it later."

She hugged him goodbye and turned around to leave the stadium. As she was walking through the team's hallway, she pulled out her phone and dialed Quinn's number. She maneuvered her way through the crowded area with little problems. Close to the exit she heard a faint yet recognizable laugh. Whipping her head around, she glanced around the area. Nothing. _Get it together Lopez,_ she thought to herself.

"Hello?"

"Hey Quinn, I need to ask you something."

As Puck waited for the team, he looked around the crowded corridor. Spotting Ashley, he made his way over to her and smiled at her.

"Hey Ash," he sucked up.

"Hi again, good work making sure Santana would come over. I guess I owe you," Ashley smiled. "Be right back."

He pumped his fist like a teenager and waited for the girl to return. He waited closer to the entrance to the locker room and noticed the girl from before the game standing with a shorter brunette.

"Hey ladies, I'm about to go meet with the team, care to join me?" He winked.

They both laughed at his attempt to hit on them. Brittany spoke up.

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"I'm Noah, Puck for short," he introduced himself.

"How is Puck short for Noah?" Rachel asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Puckerman is my last name actually."

"I'm Brittany, this is Rachel." Puck smiled.

"So ladies, can I interest you in some drinks after? Maybe celebrate the victory?"

Brittany laughed. "No offense, Puck, but I'm interested in someone else." Rachel looked at her friend and pursed her lips.

"Yes, yeah, me too," Rachel played along. He shrugged.

"No biggie, I'll be in there hanging with the team if you change your mind."

They waved as he walked in the opposite direction. When he was out of ear shot, Rachel faced Brittany.

"Interested in someone? Care to explain?"

Brittany fidgeted and faced away from Rachel's disapproving stare.

"Oh my goodness, it's the cop isn't it?" Brittany bit her lip. "Oh my goodness, it is."

"I can't help it, she was amazing. And she was really nice," she beamed, thinking of the girl she's daydreamt about all day.

"What if you never see her again? What do you really know about her?"

* * *

><p>Ashley brought Puck in shortly after her interview with various team members in the locker room. She told him to hang out and have fun while she left to go meet with Santana. He paraded around like a doofus, meeting his favorite receivers and running backs. He even got to speak briefly with Sam, who mentioned he had to go meet his friends and family outside. After getting countless autographs and pictures with the players, Puck exited the locker room and stopped in his tracks. In a dimly lit corner, a couple was getting pretty cozy. <em>Wait, isn't that…?<em>

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter was kind of annoying to write because I realized in the middle of it that jumping between three different sides of the game was kind of pointless. I am more than likely going to stay in the SantanaBrittany perspective after this chapter. I like Sam and extra characters, but I hate writing in their perspective compared to Brittana. But I guess to further this part of the story, I needed to add a little of Sam's insight. **

**On a brighter note, tomorrow, I'll post the next chapter. :) (loved it, hated it, hate me for taking forever, let me know! Feedback=love)**


	8. Chapter 7 part one

**Chapter 7**

Sunday morning came too quickly for Santana. Sure, she was excited to see Beth celebrate her fifth birthday, but having to include her own birthday wasn't ideal. Quinn insisted that her birthday was just as special as Beth's. Santana disagreed of course, but she promised Quinn the night before that she wouldn't pout about anything, especially her mystery gift, whatever that was. She had a feeling Quinn was hiding something from her, and she could only feel nervous about that.

Stepping into the bathroom to face her mirror, Santana grumbled to herself. "Welcome to the big two-three Lopez." Pulling away from her judgmental reflection and stripping off her clothes, Santana jumped into the shower to get ready for the day.

Thinking back to the night before, she was glad things turned out the way they did.

* * *

><p><em>Puck rocked on his heels as he waited for Santana to open her door. He wasn't certain on how she was going to react, but she at least deserved to know what he saw. A few moments went by before his friend appeared in front of him with a toothbrush in one hand and a glass of water in the other.<em>

"_Yes, Puckerman?" she asked before motioning for him to come inside. He pulled the door closed and followed her into the kitchen where she finished brushing her teeth._

"_Look Santana, you are a great friend of mine, one of my best, and I would never want to keep anything from you," he paused._

"_Are you coming out to me?" she joked. Puck sarcastically laughed at her and sat on a kitchen stool._

"_No smartass, it's something else. Something that I saw tonight," he explained. She motioned for him to continue. "After I met up with the team, I was leaving the locker room when I saw this couple. They were getting pretty heated, so I tried to walk by without them noticing. But they pulled away and she looked at me. It was Ashley, and Sam Evans."_

_Santana looked at him expectantly as he continued his story._

"_Long story short, I told her where else she can go shove her tongue," he said with a smirk. _

"_I know," Santana smiled. Puck tilted his head._

"_Wait, you know?" Santana nodded. "Did she tell you?"_

"_Well, not in so many words. But when I was about to head over to her house after I came home to talk to Quinn, she called me and told me she wasn't going to make it. I told her over the phone that I wasn't interested in her and she told me she found someone else anyways," she shrugged._

"_What a little bitch," he exclaimed. "Well I'm glad everything worked out. What did you and Quinn talk about?"_

_She pulled a water bottle from the fridge and tossed it at him. "Well, I asked her what I should do to break it up with Ashley, which ended up easier the way it happened. And then she brought up the park and stuff. I told her I don't want anyone to make a big deal about my birthday. It's Beth's day," she emphasized._

"_Lopez, every day is 'Beth' day. She wants you to have a great birthday too you know."_

"_Yeah, I know. I don't need much though. I will be happy with you, Beth, and Quinn around me. That's all I need."_

_Standing up from his stool, he made his way over to hug the girl. "We love you too Santana. Now, get some sleep, tomorrow's going to be a fun day."_

"_Night loser," she said as she shut the door after him._

* * *

><p>When noon arrived, Santana walked the twelve steps to her friend's apartment. As soon as she started to knock, the door swung open revealing a very excited Beth.<p>

"Tana! I missed you so much. It's our birthday!" Reaching down to pull the other birthday girl into her arms, Santana responded back.

"Hello my pretty birthday partner, I've missed you too. Are you ready for a fun day?" Beth nodded eagerly. "Good. Well, let's go find mommy and daddy so we can all go hang out and open presents!"

Beth shrieked and jumped out of her arms so she could see what was taking her parents so long. Santana smiled at the girl as she followed her down the hall to the kitchen.

"There she is!" Quinn beamed as she pulled Santana into a bone crushing hug. "Happy birthday to my awesome, gorgeous best friend!"

"Thanks Quinn," Santana laughed as she pulled away. "So, where's this 'gift' of mine?"

Quinn shook her head. "Nope, not yet, a little bit later."

"Unless it's a new car, I'm sure it won't blow me away," Santana teased.

Quinn looked at Puck knowingly and laughed. "It is definitely better than a car."

"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that," she winked.

They spent a few more minutes on last minute preparations before they all piled up in Puck's SUV and headed to Pan Pacific Park.

* * *

><p>"Rachel! Are you almost ready?" Brittany yelled from her own bathroom. She didn't want to be late to meet Quinn at the park for her daughter's birthday.<p>

"Yes, mom," Rachel laughed as she sat on Brittany's bed. "I do need help picking out my outfit for the day, and putting my hair in my pigtails."

Brittany stepped into her room wearing short jean shorts and a blue V-neck t-shirt. "Very funny," she grinned.

"You look cute," Rachel complimented. Brittany looked at Rachel's sundress and giggled.

"Thanks, so do you...trying to impress someone?" Rachel rolled her eyes. "You ready to go? Where's Sam?"

"Apparently he hit it off with that reporter from ESPN. She answered the door when I went over there earlier."

"One game and he's turned into a sleaze," Brittany joked. "Is he still going to go?"

"Let's go see." Rachel suggested as she sat up from the bed and slipped on her flats.

They took the elevator to Sam's floor and knocked on his door. A few minutes he appeared.

"Hey ladies, give me a second and I'll be ready to go," he told them as they followed.

"Is she still here?" Brittany whispered to Rachel. Rachel looked around and shrugged.

"Probably already took the walk of shame," she said aloud. Not a second later, Ashley walked out and scoffed. Rachel's eyes bugged out and she instantly turned red.

Being polite, Brittany stuck her hand out to the unfamiliar girl. "Hi, I'm Brittany. This is Rachel."

"I'm Ashley," she introduced smugly.

"So, how did you and Sam meet?" Rachel asked. She could tell she didn't like the girl already.

"We met last night actually," Ashley revealed. "I had to interview him before and after the game for ESPN, and we hit it off."

"Looks like it," Rachel smiled innocently as she spoke. Before things could get any more hostile, Sam finally walked back into the living room with a baseball cap and his phone.

"Who's ready to have some fun?" The three girls weakly smiled as they walked out of the apartment.

"She's coming?" Rachel whispered to Brittany. Shrugging, Brittany pulled her phone out and sent Sam a text.

_Is she going with us?_

Sam looked back at Brittany and shook his head. Rachel and Brittany released a breath of relief. The girls decided to ride together in Brittany's car since Sam had to drop his new friend off. He told them he'd meet them at the park after that.

"That girl seems…what's the word…" Rachel giggled as Brittany poked her. "…easy?"

"Leave him be," Brittany told her friend as she unlocked the car. "We know how long it's taken to get over _her._ Maybe something will come from it."

Rachel scoffed as she slid into her seat and pulled the seatbelt. "Yeah, and I'll never star as Elphaba on Broadway." Brittany glanced at her friend knowingly and started the car. "What! It could happen!"

When the two girls reached the park entrance, Brittany pulled out her phone and dialed Quinn's number.

"Hello?"

"Hey Quinn, this is Brittany. Rachel and I just pulled up to the park, where should we head?"

"We set up near the playground area, towards the back of the park. There's parking around here also," Quinn instructed.

"Ok sounds good, we'll see you guys in a few minutes!" Brittany smiled and hung up the phone.

"This park is so quaint," Rachel observed. "Look, right over there!" she exclaimed as she pointed at a large building. "I could put on a show for everyone in there!"

"Rachel, although your talent is impeccable, I doubt a bunch of five year olds and their parents want to hear you perform."

"That hurts Brittany, it really does," Rachel gasped dramatically. Brittany rolled her eyes as she pulled the car into a vacant spot and cut the engine. The girls grabbed their gifts for the birthday girl and headed towards the playground where they spotted Quinn speaking with an older woman.

Spotting her newly acquainted friends, Quinn excused herself and met the two halfway.

"Hey, so glad to see you guys could make it!" she smiled as she hugged them both. "I told you guys not to worry about gifts…"

Rachel shooed her away. "What kind of person would we be if we came empty handed to a children's birthday party?" Quinn laughed and nodded.

"Well that's very nice of you both," Quinn thanked. "Is Sam going to make it?"

"He had to drop his friend off this morning on the way, he should be here soon," Brittany told her. "So, where's the birthday girl?"

Quinn motioned for them to follow her as she made her way over to the jungle gym. "Beth honey," Quinn called out. A pint-sized blonde scrambled from the side of the apparatus and over to her mother, giving the two girls a guarded look. "Beth, these are some of mommy's friends from school. This is Brittany, and that's Rachel. Can you say hi to them?"

Beth nodded shyly at her mother before sticking her hand out to Brittany. "Hello, my name is Beth Fabray-Puckerman." The older girls swooned at the sight.

Brittany took her hand gently and introduced herself. "Hello Beth, my name is Brittany Pierce." Beth smiled approvingly before holding her hand out to Rachel.

"Hello dear, my name is Rachel Berry," she smiled as she shook the younger girl's hand. "I've heard wonderful things about you. Are you having a fun birthday?" Beth nodded shyly again.

"Well, I've heard we share something in common. Do you know what that is?" Brittany asked. Beth shook her head and asked her what it was. "I am a big, huge fan of ducks," Brittany emphasized with her hands making Beth laugh.

"I love ducks!" Beth exclaimed as she clapped her hands. Quinn smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm. "There are no ducks here, but I go to the other parks to see them. You should go next time! Mommy, could Brittany and Rachel go with us?"

Quinn looked at her friends and smiled. "Sure, if they'd like to, they can go too."

Rachel and Brittany returned the smile. "Sure, sounds like fun," Rachel said.

"Alrighty. So Beth, where'd daddy go?" Quinn asked.

"They couldn't get the barbecue thingy to work, so they went to the car," Beth informed her. A little boy ran up to the group and dragged Beth back to the jungle gym.

"She's too precious," Rachel told Quinn. "And she is very polite."

"Thank you," Quinn smiled. "Come on, I'll show you where to put those," she pointed at the gifts.

* * *

><p>"Damn it," Puck groaned as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.<p>

"Smooth move, dumbass," Santana smirked. "Next time wait 'til the door is all the way up," she laughed, referring to the trunk access.

"Whatever asshole, I was distracted," he argued.

"By what? Are those voices in your head again? Quinn told you to get that checked out," she joked.

"No, actually, there was this smokin' girl that was walking by," Puck explained. "I wonder where she went," he looked around the surrounding area.

"Seeing things too? Man, you are going nuts." Santana grabbed a few bags from the trunk and tossed them into Puck's arms. "Hold these, thanks."

She closed the hatch and locked the door. "Ok, so let's get some food cooking, I'm starved."

They walked back towards the jungle gym and placed the bags of food and supplies by the barbeque pit. They saw Quinn talking to two girls so they made their way over there. When they got closer, Puck tapped Santana on the shoulder.

"Dude," Puck whispered. Santana rolled her eyes as she played a game on her phone.

"What Puckerman?"

"That's the girl I was talking about," he said as he pointed at the blonde whose back was turned. Santana looked up from her phone and gasped.

_No way,_ Santana doubted. _That can't be…_

Quinn turned her attention to Santana and Puck. Stepping aside, she introduced them, causing Brittany's eyes to widen in realization. "Brittany, Rachel this is Beth's father, Noah, and this is Santana."

* * *

><p><strong>Time to go to class, but here's some of chapter 7. Enjoy :) OMG JUST READ ABOUT BRITTANA MAKEOUT. OMG. PLEASE BE TRUE. AHHHHHH. OK GOTTA GET TO CLASS.<strong>


	9. Chapter 7 part two

Hope ya enjoy :)

* * *

><p>The five of them held quite an impressive staring contest until Puck finally spoke up.<p>

"Ok, seriously? What's going on?" He looked over to Quinn who was sporting a very guilty expression on her face.

"I invited Brittany and Rachel today," she explained. Santana pulled her gaze from Brittany to stare at her best friend inquisitively.

"How do you know them?" Santana asked. Rachel chose to speak up.

"Well, Quinn and Brittany share a class together. I'm Brittany's roommate. We all met up for lunch the other day and Quinn invited us," Rachel explained.

Nodding, Quinn continued. "Yeah, I figured it'd be nice to hang out away from school."

Santana looked back over to Brittany and grinned. "So, what a small world, huh?"

Brittany nodded shyly and looked over to Rachel who was putting things together in her head.

"Wait a second, you're Santana Lopez!" Rachel shrieked.

"Guilty," Santana held up her hands jokingly.

"Carmel High lead vocalist, Santana Lopez?" Santana nodded. "Oh wow, this is insane."

"Oh it's something," Santana mumbled as she glared at Quinn, who was dodging her glare by chomping on a celery stick.

"What am I missing?" Puck whispered to Santana as he pulled them away from the group.

"Brittany, AKA hot girl from my ride along the other night, AKA hot girl you just saw in the parking lot," Santana whispered back.

Realization crept on his face and he pouted slightly. Santana looked at his new expression.

"What's wrong with you?" she whispered.

"I'm guessing you got dibs on her?" Santana punched him in the arm and stepped towards the others again.

"So, Quinn, can I borrow you to help me set this barbeque up since Puck can't seem to stop hurting himself?" Santana demanded more than asked.

Quinn glanced over at Puck who was clutching his arm. "Um, yeah, ok sure," she warily agreed. Rachel and Brittany giggled as they watched the girl nervously make her way over to Santana.

"So, explain…" Rachel poked Brittany in the side.

"Remember hot cop…?" Brittany hinted. Rachel's eyes widened.

"No…" she trailed on with disbelief. "She's a cop?" Brittany nodded. "Damn girl, get it!" she exclaimed, causing Santana and Quinn to glance at them. She tried to cover up her outburst. "I was talking about the grill," she pointed as Brittany slapped her own forehead. "Get it girl, show him how it's done?" she practically asked as she hid her face from embarrassment.

"Smooth," Brittany mocked.

"Anyways, she's like insanely hot," Rachel observed. Brittany sighed happily, wondering how she got so lucky to have seen this girl again.

* * *

><p>"What the hell Quinn?" Santana asked as she torched the coals for the barbeque. "You couldn't have told me this little detail?"<p>

"I didn't think it was important…" she giggled. Santana smiled and looked over to Brittany who was grinning like a fool as she spoke with Rachel. Quinn followed Santana's line of sight and smiled. "Besides, it looks like you are pretty happy she's here."

Santana snapped her attention back to Quinn. "I, uh, um…" she stuttered as she tried to think of something to say. Quinn just looked at her expectantly. "Fine," she groaned. "I'm actually really glad to see her, so thank you."

"You're welcome. Aren't I the best gift giver ever?" she popped a chip in her mouth and walked away.

"Wait a second, gift?" Santana yelled back. Puck shook his head at her and pulled some hamburgers from a bag. "Did you know about this?" she asked.

Puck nodded. "Well, sort of. I did not know that she looked like _that._ But Quinn did mention that you enjoyed the ride more than you let on," he laughed as he put a few burgers on the grill. "So she explained yesterday before the game that she'd be inviting the girl to the party."

"Ya'll suck," Santana joked. Puck shrugged and pulled open a bag containing weird colored patties. "What the hell are those?" she pointed out. Rachel overheard her and frowned.

"Those are veggie burgers. I do not eat anything with a face," she explained, causing Puck to wink at Santana.

"You're so gross Puckerman," she said as she shook her head. She looked back at Rachel and asked how many she'd like.

"Two is fine, thanks!" she answered. She turned to the other girls and offered them some.

"I'll try one," Quinn volunteered causing Rachel to smile widely. "What about you Brittany?"

Brittany shook her head violently. "Sorry girls, I can't live without the real stuff."

"Just three Santana," Quinn called out.

Santana waved her spatula in the air showing she heard her and continued her conversation with Puck.

"So, Brittany…" Quinn trailed off with a smirk.

"Yes?" she replied with confusion lacing her tone.

"How was the ride-along with Santana?"

"It was really informative," Brittany simply stated. Rachel nudged her shoulder. "Ok, it was awesome. Santana's totally cool and really nice."

"She's amazing," Quinn agreed. "Do you like her?"

_Wow, she's straight to the point,_ Brittany thought to herself. "Well, uh, she's…" she fumbled as she tried to figure out what to say. Fortunately for her, Sam's ringtone rang out, causing her to reach into her purse for her phone. "Hey Sam, what's up?"

"_I just parked, where am I headed?"_

"Head towards the jungle gym, you'll see us," Brittany instructed.

"_Ok, see you in a few."_

"Slick," Rachel teased. "So, continue…"

"It's ok Brittany," Quinn reassured. "I won't tell her about anything you may say."

Brittany nodded nervously. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Hey girls, what a great day out here, aren't I right?" Sam greeted as he walked over to the table. He leaned in and hugged Rachel and Brittany before looking over to Quinn. She pulled him into a hug as well and motioned for him to sit down while she grabbed him a drink. "So, what'd I miss?"

"Nothing much, we met Quinn's daughter, Beth, and we are about to eat," Rachel informed him. "And…" she paused, grinning at Brittany.

"Stop," Brittany whined playfully.

"What?" he asked intrigued. Brittany lowered her head and played with a few strands of her hair.

"See her over there?" Rachel pointed over to Santana who was currently showing off her grilling skills to Puck. Sam nodded. "That's Brittany's cop friend."

"That's the 'hot cop' from the other night?" Brittany groaned and put her face in her hands. "She's smokin' Britt, go for it!"

"Thanks for the approval," Brittany rolled her eyes. "I'm going to go hangout with Beth," she said as she got up and made her way over to the monkey bars.

"What'd I say?" Sam asked as Quinn handed him a Coke. "Thanks, Quinn."

* * *

><p>"Hey Brittany, over here!" Beth hollered as she saw Brittany headed in her direction. Brittany waved and stopped in front of the metal framing.<p>

"Hey birthday girl, what's going on over here?" Beth smiled and stepped closer to her.

"We were having a contest to see who could hang the longest without letting go of the bars. You wanna try?"

Brittany looked down at the top of the monkey bars which had to be nearly a foot shorter than her and giggled. "I'm taller than it, that's not fair."

Beth smirked. "That's why you bend your legs in the air so you don't touch the ground silly." Brittany nodded.

"You're right. So, who's the reigning champion?" Brittany asked as she looked over her potential competition- 11 five year olds, the tallest reaching Brittany's stomach.

Santana heard Beth calling Brittany over and couldn't help but smile as she saw how sweet Brittany was acting towards the five year old. Most girls she knew wouldn't bother playing with a child, and yet here Brittany was, a grown woman having a contest against a dozen five year olds and looking as if she didn't have a care in the world.

"She's great, isn't she?" Quinn interrupted her thoughts.

"Yeah, she's gorgeous," Santana admitted dreamily.

"I was talking about Beth," Quinn joked. Santana scoffed and turned away from the play area. "So, why don't you go and talk to her?"

"I know, I want to, I just don't really know what to say, especially at this moment," Santana bit her lip. "Maybe in a little bit, after Beth's party and all," she suggested.

"Sounds good, just wipe the drool from your mouth before you do," she teased, causing Santana to lift her hand to her chin. "You're too easy," Quinn laughed.

* * *

><p>Puck and Santana finished cooking all the burgers and brought them to the main table while Quinn set up other snacks on the second one. Puck looked over to where Rachel was sitting and nearly gasped as he noticed Sam sitting there. Santana noticed his lack of attention and grabbed the plate full of burgers from him before he dropped it.<p>

"Dude, I'm Puck," he introduced while shaking Sam's hand. "Great game last night, I was there."

"Thanks, obviously I'm Sam. You came to the locker room last night didn't you?" he asked.

"Yeah man, that was me," he looked over to Santana. "Hey Sam this is Santana, one of my closest friends, she came with me last night."

Sam held out his hand to her. "It's a pleasure to meet you Santana, I've actually heard a little about you," he smiled.

"Really…? Wait, from who?" she questioned.

"Brittany," he stated. "She said you and her spent twelve hours in the same car. How'd you manage that?"

"Pretty easily," she chuckled. "A bunch of car games."

Sam nodded. "That sounds like her. When we drove here from Ohio, she insisted the three of us play a bunch of those games."

"You know Brittany too?" Puck asked. Quinn pulled him aside to keep him from thinking too hard.

"Mommy, mommy," Beth ran over out of breath. "I'm hungry, can we eat?"

Quinn kissed her daughter on the forehead and nodded. "Go gather your friends so they can all wash their hands first." Beth pumped her fist into the air and ran away.

* * *

><p>After a quick trip to the bathrooms with the kids to wash their hands, Brittany walked back over to the table and sat in between Rachel and Sam.<p>

"So, did you win the monkey bars contest?" Sam joked as Brittany sipped her soda.

"I lost," she pouted playfully. She glanced over to Santana who was being shooed away by Quinn.

"Santana, I'm not going to tell you again, go sit down and relax, it's your birthday too!" Brittany raised an eyebrow and turned to Rachel.

"It's her birthday? Did you know?" Rachel whispered to her. Brittany shook her head. She remembered Santana mentioning it was soon, but never mentioned the date.

Santana sat down at the table across from Brittany and groaned.

"Santana, I didn't know your birthday was today," Brittany smiled. "You should've told me."

She blushed and shrugged. "I didn't want to make a big deal."

Before Brittany could reply, Quinn and Puck set the rest of the food down, and gathered the kids to eat.

"Alright, well the food is all finished, so everyone dig in," Quinn announced. Beth and her friends cheered as they went straight for dessert. "Not so fast," Quinn stopped them. "Dessert's after lunch." They frowned but followed orders. "That means you too, Puck." Puck put down the cookie he was about to munch on and walked away.

"So, Brittany, you went on the ride-along the other night?" Puck asked as he and Quinn sat down next to Santana. Quinn smacked her head. _Hadn't we already covered that,_ she rhetorically asked herself.

Brittany nodded as she chewed a rather large bite of her burger. She didn't care, she was starving.

"Yeah, it went really well," she informed him. Tossing a glance to Santana, she smiled and pointed to the girl. "She definitely is a badass." Santana swooned.

"Don't let her head get too big," Puck warned. "She is super cocky."

"Screw you, Puckasauras. I'm a total badass," she defended as she shoved a few chips into her mouth. "Be lucky you didn't have to ride with him, he's a total bore."

Puck rolled his eyes at her and continued. "She knows her best days of work are when she works with me."

"Oh, okay," she smirked. Rolling her eyes at his arrogance, she looked over to Sam. "So, how are you feeling? That game last night was awesome."

He looked up and swallowed the massive chunk of burger that he just bit off with ease. _He's got a really large mouth, _Puck thought.

"Thanks. It was a really good game, and I was nervous at first, especially the first half," he explained. "We couldn't get much going at all."

"But then, boom," Puck emphasized loudly, causing some of the other parents to look over from their table.

"Yeah, it was so amazing," Sam laughed. "It's going to be an awesome season." They all nodded and continued to eat. "Quinn, have you thought about auditioning for the fall festival?"

Rachel glanced up quickly from her veggie burger and waited for Quinn to respond. "Yeah, I think I may, but I have to find out the information for it. It sounds really fun," she nodded.

"That's fantastic!" Rachel clapped. "I can tell you all about it! Oh, this is so exciting!" They all laughed at her enthusiasm.

"Thanks!" Quinn smiled at the small brunette and turned to Santana. "So, San, Beth wants to go to the park to see the ducks." Pointing between Rachel and Brittany, she continued. "She wants Rachel and Brittany to go next time, when are you free?"

Santana narrowed her eyes slightly at Quinn before answering. "Um, well, Saturdays I usually don't have to work…"

"That's good for us too," Rachel added. "Brittany and I don't usually have to work on Saturdays."

Brittany nodded and finished her burger. "I have no plans."

"We could all go next Saturday?" Quinn suggested. They all nodded.

They all engaged in simple conversation for a while until Beth made her way over to their table. "Can we open presents?"

Quinn kissed her cheek. "Yes you can birthday girl, are all of your friends finished eating?" Beth nodded enthusiastically. "Ok babygirl, in a few minutes we can. We are almost done over here, ok?" Beth politely accepted and kissed Puck on the cheek before running back to her friends.

"She's adorable," Brittany told them. "I can't believe how well behaved she is."

"Don't let her fool you," Puck joked. "She knows exactly how to manipulate us."

"Not me," Santana shrugged. Quinn scoffed and playfully shoved Santana. "What? That girl can't pull one on me. I'm the master."

Not a minute later, Beth came back over to the table and pouted. "Jack said that ducks are dumb," she let out with a trembling bottom lip. Santana rose quickly from her chair and strode towards the kids' table to let the little boy have it with Beth trailing behind her. Quinn and Puck smirked before looking at their friends across the table who were trying to hold in a laugh.

"She's more whipped than either of us," Quinn giggled, causing the other four to laugh hysterically. When Santana returned with a smug smile on her face, the group laughed harder.

"What?" she questioned. "What's going on? What'd I miss?"

"Can't be played my ass," Rachel muttered through uneven breaths.

"I wasn't played," Santana frowned. They all continued to laugh. "Shut up, ya'll suck."

"Aww, San, its ok…" Quinn hugged her friend. "She does it to everyone." Santana rolled her eyes playfully and took a sip from her Coke.

"Jack's a little jerk," she whispered, causing them all to giggle. "Ducks are awesome when they don't bite."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later the group was standing behind the kid's table as they watched Beth opening up her birthday gifts. Quinn and Puck played proud parents, snapping photos and videos on either side of Beth while Santana, Rachel, Sam, and Brittany observed. Rachel and Sam were discussing some new Toby Keith song and its merit so Brittany took the opportunity to talk to Santana.<p>

"So, what else are you doing for your birthday?" Brittany asked her. Santana shrugged and turned to face her.

"Usually this is it," Santana motioned to Beth. "We all hang out during her party. Maybe catch a few drinks after."

"That's it?" Brittany scrunched her nose. "No birthday dinner, no plans?"

"Usually by the time we all leave the park, I'm exhausted."

"Well, I'm all for breaking the usual pattern if you're interested," Brittany suggested. Intrigued, Santana smiled.

"I'll bite, what do you have in mind?" Brittany smiled at her.

"I'll get back to you." She turned to Rachel and Sam to interrupt their feud. "Hey guys," she whispered as she watched Santana walk closer to see Beth opening gifts. "Do you think you could ride together when we all leave? I want to see about hanging out with Santana after."

"You're dropping me off like a preschooler so you can go out and make lady babies with her?" Rachel asked jokingly. Brittany's face reddened really quickly. "Relax, I was joking. That's fine, right Sam?"

Sam nodded. "Sure, what are you going to go do?"

"Well she doesn't really seem to enjoy her birthdays for herself for some reason, so maybe I can change that for her."

"How so?" Sam asked.

"I'm still thinking about that. I'm sure after about an hour or so, everyone will start leaving. It's close to three, so there's plenty of time to make the day fun."

"Aww look you at you, all smitten," Rachel teased. "She's hot though, have fun!" she nudged her and walked over to see Beth was opening up the gift she brought. She beamed when she saw Beth's face.

"Rachel you got me a singing machine?" Rachel nodded. "It's so awesome!" Beth exclaimed, causing the group to laugh.

"You can't be simply born with talent," Rachel laughed. "Practice can make you a big star," she winked. Quinn smiled at Rachel and mouthed a thank you to her.

* * *

><p>They watched Beth open the rest of her gifts, including a miniature guitar from Puck, a bunch of new clothes and other items from Quinn, and two tickets to see a performance of <em>Disney on Ice<em> from Brittany and Sam. Santana disappeared a few moments ago, causing Brittany to wonder where she went.

"Alright Beth, there's one more gift, but you have to close your eyes, okay?" Santana's voice called out as she wheeled an awesome bike over to the girl's seat.

"Okay, Tana," Beth spoke through a huge smile. To say the girl was excited would be an understatement.

Santana smirked at Brittany before counting down. "Okay, three, two, one…open your eyes."

Beth quickly removed her hands from her eyes and squealed. "A BIKE! IT'S SO AWESOME!" She jumped up into Santana's arms and gave her a huge kiss on the cheek. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!"

Quinn smiled and pulled Beth closer to her and Puck and knelt down. "Ok, sweetie, daddy and I will help you learn how to ride your new bike, but you have to promise us that you will always wear your helmet, and safety gear, okay?" Beth nodded hurriedly and hugged her mother.

"Daddy! Can you guys teach me today?" Puck smiled as he pulled her into his arms.

"Sure thing sweetie, we can try when we go home, okay?" Beth smiled. "I love you Beth, happy birthday baby."

Santana smiled and set the bike on its kickstand before scooping Beth in for another hug. "Alright babygirl, I'm going to go and hang out with Brittany, you be good, okay? I love you."

"I love you too, Tana. Happy birthday," Beth kissed her cheek again. She pulled away and ran over to her friends to examine her new bike.

"Brittany asked if I wanted to go hang out," Santana informed Quinn and Puck as Brittany talked with Sam and Rachel for a few more minutes. Quinn smiled knowingly and pulled her in for a hug.

"Have fun San. I want to hear all the details soon," she joked. "But seriously, I do."

Puck hugged her too. "Happy birthday partner, I'm sure it'll be a really fun time," he winked. "See you at work bright and early tomorrow."

Santana smiled and pulled away. "10am isn't early," she pointed out.

After exchanging goodbyes, Santana and Brittany walked towards Brittany's car. "So, what's this plan of yours?" Santana asked with a chuckle.

"How do you like theme parks?"

Santana raised her eyebrows. "I love them, why?"

Brittany smirked and answered. "Well, you brought me on a ride the other day, now it's my turn."

Santana laughed whole-heartedly at Brittany's cheesy line. "Oh really now? Ok, Pierce, you're on!"


	10. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

"So, where are you taking me?" Santana asked as she slid into the passenger side of Brittany's car. She was thrilled with how the day was going. She never would have guessed that her best friend would become acquainted with Brittany in their class or that she would meet said girl again in such an easy fashion.

"I haven't been to Universal Studios in forever, and I know someone who works there," Brittany explained as she started the engine. "So, I'm sure he won't mind getting us a pretty awesome deal."

"Sounds awesome, I haven't been there before," Santana responded causing Brittany to snap her head over to her.

"What! Never!" Brittany exclaimed. Santana shook her head and giggled. Brittany gasped dramatically. "It is only the best theme park ever," she told her. She pulled out of the park's lot and headed towards the main road.

"I guess we'll see," Santana laughed at her antics. "Are the rides cool? I've been to Sea World and Knott's Berry Farm."

"They are awesome," Brittany emphasized. "The Mummy ride is good, and Jurassic Park is too. And the House of Horrors is insane."

Santana nodded and put her purse on the floor next to her feet. "This should be an interesting day then, thanks for bringing me."

Brittany looked over and smiled. "You're welcome."

Twenty three minutes later they entered the park and walked towards the ticket booth where a feminine man was typing away on a keyboard.

"Hey Kurt!" Brittany greeted as she got closer to his booth. He looked up from the screen and shrieked. He quickly jumped off his stool and out the door to hug her. Santana watched amusedly.

"Brittany Pierce, what an honor to see you! And who's your friend?" he asked with a playful tone, causing Brittany and Santana to blush.

Brittany pulled away and motioned to Santana. "Santana Lopez, this is one of my good friends, Kurt Hummel. He is in the musical theater program with Rachel at USC. Kurt, this is Santana," she paused as she thought of how she should introduce her. _Are we friends, or is she just a cop that I rode with and am now hanging with? A girl that I like? Wait like? Isn't that soon? Oh god, she's looking at me. Speak idiot, speak._

Sensing Brittany's inner turmoil, Santana smirked and held out her hand to Kurt. "Brittany and I met a few days ago, she is a friend of my best friend, Quinn, and she thought it would be fun to hang out, so we're here," she explained. Kurt glanced over to Brittany whose face was bright red and nodded.

"I see, I see. Well, a friend of Britt's is a friend of mine," he smiled. Santana noticed a particularly large woman making her way towards them, so she cleared her throat. Kurt looked behind him and dashed quickly back into his booth. The woman seemed satisfied with his actions as she turned around and walked back towards the guest services building.

"So Kurt, I was hoping that you would be able to do us a favor today," Brittany hinted as she batted her eyebrows. "You see, today is Santana's birthday. She's never been here before, and never does much for her birthday." Kurt widened his eyes and gasped.

"That's a true shame. Let me see what I can work out," he smirked at Santana as he typed on his keyboard again." As they waited for him to finish what he was doing, Santana poked Brittany's arm playfully.

"You don't have to do all this for me," she smiled shyly. "I mean, I wouldn't want him to get in trouble or anything over something as miniscule as my birthday." Brittany poked her back.

"Your birthday is not_ miniscule_, it should be fun. And different," she shrugged. "Besides, Kurt is practically the king here. He won't get into trouble."

"It's true," Kurt interrupted as he pulled some things out of a drawer. "Alright ladies, compliments of Kurt Hummel, future Broadway star, two all-access passes to the rides, complimentary drinks on the house at any restaurant, kiosk and stand, and passes to any place on CityWalk!"

Brittany raised her eyebrows as she took the items from her friend. "Wow! That's insane!" Santana looked equally shocked and nodded.

"I wouldn't let ya'll enjoy us any other way. Now get out of here, go have fun!" Kurt smiled and sent them off.

They both thanked him and waved appreciatively before walking through the main gates.

"Wow, he was really nice," Santana smiled. "I can't believe he gave us all this for free," she said as she looked through the different cards and pamphlets.

"He is amazing," Brittany agreed. "So, what do you want to do first? The park doesn't close until nine tonight, and CityWalk doesn't close until 11, so we have plenty of time. Your pick, birthday girl."

Santana grinned and took a map out of their stack and opened it up. Looking thoroughly, she pointed at a spot and chose. "Let's go to this." Brittany smiled and looped her arm through Santana's.

"As you wish," she smiled as she led Santana towards the area on the map. Santana smiled warmly at Brittany, who was doing way too much to make her feel special. That thought caused a sly grin to grace her features, as she thought that simply being there with Brittany was already enough.

Brittany noticed the grin and chuckled. "What?"

"It's nothing," Santana told her. "I'm just really glad we're doing this. Thank you."

Brittany blushed and looked away before responding. "Me too."

* * *

><p>"Are you sure this one is good?" Santana whispered as she and Brittany waited in line. They were about three minutes from entering the House of Horrors.<p>

Brittany nodded. "It definitely gets a little scary, but that's the point," she replied without looking at Santana.

"Scary! Like how scary?" Santana nervously laughed. Brittany turned and noticed the expression on the other girl.

"Don't worry, nothing too bad," she explained. "Besides, they can't touch you, so remember it's just for fun," she said with a smirk.

Santana nodded and watched as the group ahead of her filed closer to the entrance. As they followed, sounds from inside the attraction were more accessible. She could hear some people laughing and having a good time. _Ok, so maybe this won't be so bad,_ she thought to herself.

"You ready?" Brittany asked as they stepped through the entrance door. Santana nodded and they walked in, Santana trailing very closely to Brittany's side. Approaching a dark hallway barely fifteen steps in, a girl screamed loudly, causing Santana to quickly pull on Brittany's arm to leave through the entrance.

"Santana, it's ok!" Brittany giggled. "Come on, it isn't that bad I promise. Besides, look at the amount of people we'd have to go through to get out," she said pointing at the crowd behind them.

Santana bit her lip and turned towards the direction they were originally headed. "Ok, fine, but if I have nightmares, it's on you!" she spit playfully.

"You fight criminals, and yet you're afraid of a little haunted ride? That's cute," Brittany teased as she bumped her hand into Santana's. As they continued to walk forward, Santana cautiously peered around her, waiting for things to jump out at her. Brittany watched amusedly, loving how easily the girl was freaked out.

A scream from about ten people back caused Santana to tense up again, so Brittany grabbed her hand and whispered close to her ear. "I'm right here San."

Santana shivered from the feeling of Brittany so close to her. She felt like a total pansy needing Brittany to reassure her that she'll be ok in a stupid ride, but hey, if this is what it took to get Brittany that close, so be it. She decided to play it up a little bit.

"Britt, I'm freaking out," Santana trembled. Brittany turned to look at her and noticed the girl was shaking, so she thought of an idea.

"Ok, how 'bout you stay behind me, and maybe close your eyes. I'll guide us out of here, and then we can get ice cream and forget all about this ride." Santana nodded and took Brittany's other hand that was held out for her. Brittany turned and kept moving forward, smiling at how well this haunted house idea was working out.

Santana held on to Brittany's hands as she shuffled forward, until something jumped out at them, causing Santana to press her body into Brittany's back and hide her face. Brittany smiled widely at the action.

Five minutes later the tour was finally over and Brittany spotted the park's lights again. Still clutched tightly to her back was Santana. Letting her left hand come free from the girl's grasp, Brittany turned around and looked at the flustered girl.

"Hey, are you ok?" Brittany asked. Santana nodded and looked up at her.

"I'm never going into one of those again," she joked.

"Why, you did so well!" Brittany laughed and pulled her towards an ice cream stand. "C'mon, I owe you ice cream."

They stood in line, still holding each other's hand as if they have done it their entire lives. Neither one wanted to break contact, so they acted nonchalantly, even though they were both freaking out on the inside.

"What kind of ice cream are you going to get?" Santana asked. "I'm going to guess," she paused. "Chocolate chip cookie dough?"

"Wow, you're good!" Brittany smiled. "How'd you do that?"

Santana shrugged. "You just seem like you'd have great taste," she smiled. Brittany quirked her eyebrows making Santana blush. "In...in…ice cream," she stuttered. _Wow idiot, stop talking._

"I bet you do too," Brittany winked. "I am going to guess…" Santana pulled them close to the window. "Strawberry…with m+m's?" Brittany asked as she looked at the various items in the stand.

"Stop it!" Santana laughed out. "That is insane. That's like my favorite type."

"Seriously?" Brittany giggled. Santana nodded and turned to face the man at the ice cream stand.

"Hi ladies, what can I get you?"

"Can we get two ice cream cones, one with chocolate cookie dough, and one with strawberry with m+m's, please?" Santana asked and pulled out her debit card quickly.

"Wait, no way, I owe you still remember?" Brittany said as she yanked the debit card from her hand and gave the man hers.

"I'm pretty sure you've already paid me back enough," Santana smirked. "But feel free to keep it up," she laughed. Brittany nodded.

"Yeah, I plan to! It's your birthday," she smiled and licked at some of her ice cream that was rolling down the side of her cone. "Let's go sit down over there." They walked over to a bench and sat down. "So, how long have you known Quinn and Puck?" Brittany asked.

"It feels like forever, but really it's only been about two years now," Santana answered as she took a huge bite from her cone.

"Wow, yeah, the way ya'll interacted, it seemed like that," Brittana told her.

"They are practically family to me," Santana admitted. "I love them so much." Brittany smiled behind her ice cream. "What?"

"You are a very sweet person," she complimented. She huffed as Santana shook her head in disagreement. "You are though."

"I disagree, but I appreciate that." Brittany stuck her tongue out. "Real mature," Santana laughed. She quickly swiped Brittany's cheek with some ice cream and scooted away on the bench.

"Mature, yeah, I see that," she laughed as she wiped her cheek. Santana smiled and moved closer. Brittany tensed up slightly as she watched Santana's hand reach closer to her face. She let out a breath when she felt the girl's fingertips lightly glide down her cheek, removing the ice cream they originally applied.

"All clean," Santana smiled as she wiped her hand on a napkin.

"So, what do you want to do next?" Brittany asked checking her phone. "It's close to eight already."

"That was fast," Santana said. "I feel like we just got here."

"Yeah I know. We should go ride the Jurassic Park ride," Brittany suggested causing Santana to quirk an eyebrow.

"Is that one scary too?" she asked. Brittany shook her head. "Ok, lead the way."

They tossed their trash in the receptacle and headed towards the ride. They quickly walked through the ropes until they reached the boat that was sitting next to the dock.

"Wait, the ride is on a boat…thing?" Santana asked.

"It's fun, I promise," Brittany assured her.

"You said that about the last place," Santana pouted playfully. "Fine, fine, let's get on."

Brittany clapped and stepped into the boat, sliding into the front row. When Santana looked at her strangely, she replied. "The better view of the ride."

"Wait," Santana paused as she sat down. The couple next to them pulled the bar across their laps and pulled on their hoods to their ponchos. The boat began pulling away from the dock. She looked over at Brittany who was trying to keep a laugh from spilling out by biting her lip. "Brittany Pierce, is this a water ride?"

Brittany let go of her lip and chuckled loudly as she avoided the Lopez death glare. Santana gasped and quickly pulled her phone out of her pocket. She tried to find a spot to hide the phone where it wouldn't get wet, but she wasn't having much luck.

"What do I do about my phone?" Santana asked. Brittany smiled and pulled a small plastic baggie from her purse and slipped both of their phones inside before zipping the purse. "Thanks!"

As the boat ascended up the rails, Santana held tightly to the bar on her lap. She wasn't sure what this ride would entail. When the boat reached the top and continued on a level path, she let out a sigh of relief.

"Don't be scared San, this ride is actually fun," Brittany teased. Santana poked her thigh as they entered through large doors, revealing dinosaurs in their habitat.

"Wow, this is really pretty," Santana whispered.

"Yeah, I know," Brittany agreed.

The boat traveled onwards for a few minutes and while she tried to listen to the recorded commentary, Santana couldn't help but pay attention to the way Brittany's face lit up while watching the scenes in front of them.

Uh-oh," Brittany breathed out, breaking Santana from her leering.

"What, uh-oh, no, what's going on?" she freaked out, looking around at the flashing lights around water. She jumped when a dinosaur jumped from the water. "You jerk," she spat playfully at Brittany.

They turned a corner where she quickly noticed a car descending before she saw a huge ramp. "Oh goodness, no, we can't be dropping this high!" She panicked lightly as they gradually climbed. "We are, we are, we are." She grabbed onto Brittany's thigh and held on as she waited for the large drop. When the boat reached the highest point of the ramp, she held a breath and looked over to Brittany who was watching with amused eyes. She clamped her hand harder on Brittany's leg and tightened her body to ready herself. She felt the boat give and head downwards, but sighed as it quickly ended with just a small splash of water.

"That wasn't so…" a wailing siren interrupted her as they traveled forward for a few moments. She watched as a large waterfall came into view. As the boat approached closer, she finally saw the huge T-Rex headed straight towards the boat. "Shit, shit, no," she muttered.

"Here we go," Brittany laughed. Two seconds later, the boat ripped down the ramp at a fast speed causing the whole boat to get soaked. Brittany could swear she heard a muffled scream come from the girl beside her, but she was too busy wiping water from her face.

"Oh my God, that was ridiculous," Santana cried out as she rung the water out of her shirt.

"It's my favorite ride," Brittany grinned as she wiped the water from her forehead.

"Let's do it again!" Santana suggested.

"Wait, really?" Brittany asked. "You were just freaking out two seconds ago."

"Us Latinas, we tend to overreact sometimes," she shrugged. "It was awesome though, and now that I know what to expect, I will enjoy it more."

Brittany nodded. "Ok whatever you say. Let's go look at the picture!"

"Haha, no way, they take a picture of us?" Santana asked as she followed through the gift shop. "Wow, oh my god, look at me!"

"Looks normal," Brittany teased as she looked at the blown up image on the screen. Santana had one hand covering her face as the other was reached in front of her to attempt to block water from hitting her. "Look at mine."

Santana looked over and began laughing hysterically at the expression on Brittany's face. Instead of looking scared or nervous, she instead looked unfazed, as if the huge drop and water was no big deal.

"We should try and take the goofiest pictures!" Santana suggested.

"That could be funny, we probably have time for three more rides." She walked up to the desk where the photos were being sold. "Hey, can you hold onto that one? We will be back in a few to pay for that and other ones," Brittany asked the short girl. The girl nodded and pulled the photo up onto her screen. "Ok, come on."

They got back on the ride quickly and whispered about how they were going to pose. When the drop was closer to approaching, Brittany explained where the camera was. Three trips later, the girls ran inside completely drenched. Brittany grabbed two towels from the tables and handed one to Santana.

"Don't we have to pay for these?" Santana asked.

"Don't worry about that," Brittany told her. They walked over to the girl from before and waited for the four photos to print. Once they were done, Brittany grabbed the envelope and walked towards the cashier who seemingly recognized her as well.

"Brittie, hey darling, it is so nice to see you!" The girl cheered as she leaned in to lightly hug her.

"Sugar, how are you?" Brittany asked.

"I'm doing excellent, been saving money up for a big trip. I'm finally going to the place I've always wanted to go," she paused. "Mexico!" Santana and Brittany giggled.

"Sounds fun," Brittany smiled. "Well Sugar, this is Santana."

"Nice to meet you," Santana greeted politely. Sugar nodded as she shook her hand.

"You as well, Santana…you know, you look very similar to an aunt of mine. Well, except you are much hotter and younger than her." Santana widened her eyes. "Sorry, Asperger's."

"Right, well," Brittany interrupted. "So, what do we owe you for the towels and photos?"

"You really think I'm going to charge you? Who do you think I am? Get out of here," she teased playfully.

Brittany smiled and hugged Sugar again. "Thanks! I'll see you sometime next month for the show!"

"Bye girls, it was so nice to meet you Santana…" she waved goodbye. Santana waved cautiously and followed Brittany.

"Ok, no more free stuff woman. Even I don't get that much swag when I flash my badge."

"Jealous?" Brittany teased as they walked towards the main entrance to the park.

"No, I just feel obligated to owe you now," Santana grinned. "So, what is next?"

"It's ten til nine," Brittany stated after checking her phone. "We could go out to one of the clubs, but we are all wet."

"Very true," Santana said. "How 'bout we head back towards my place, we can change out of these wet clothes, and from there, we can decide what to do," she suggested.

"Sure, that sounds good."

* * *

><p>It was close to ten when the girls arrived at Santana's apartment. Santana pulled her key out from her purse and pushed open the door.<p>

"Wow, your apartment is really nice!"

"Thanks, I love it. I definitely enjoy coming home and relaxing after a long day at work."

"I bet. There's so much space," she observed. "And your kitchen is so much nicer than the one Rachel and I have."

Santana nodded and showed her around the rest of the apartment. When they reached her bedroom, she pushed open the door and headed toward her dresser. "Sweatpants and hoodie sound good? I can toss your clothes in the dryer."

"That sounds good, thanks." Brittany took the clothes from Santana. They stood staring at each other for a few moments before Brittany finally spoke up. "Um, where's the bathroom?" Santana wanted to smack herself. _Duh, she needs the bathroom to change. She probably thinks I wanted to watch her. Which I don't. Of course not…well, let's not go there,_ she berated herself.

"Uh, it's right down the hallway, on the right." she instructed. Brittany smiled and walked away. She closed the bedroom door and pulled out a pair of sweatpants with the LAPD stamped down her leg and an oversized hoodie from her dresser. She quickly got dressed and pulled her hair into a messy bun before heading to the kitchen to start some hot water.

A few minutes later Brittany emerged with a handful of her clothes. Santana took them and tossed them into the dryer with her clothes.

"So, coffee, hot chocolate, tea?"

"Ooh, hot chocolate please," Brittany smiled.

"Coming right up," Santana responded. "So, when's your birthday?"

"The third of December," Brittany told her as she leaned against the counter. "I'll be twenty-two."

"Did you do anything crazy for your twenty-first birthday?" Santana asked as she handed over a mug of hot chocolate.

Brittany blew lightly against the drink to cool it. "Not really. I mean, I got 'hella wasted' that night," she emphasized jokingly.

"Hella wasted?" Santana asked as she walked into the living room to sit on the couch. Brittany followed and sat cross-legged facing her.

"Yeah," she laughed. "I hugged the bottle of goose with me when I passed out on someone's boat."

"You were on a boat?" Santana asked and then giggled at the song reference.

"If it helps, it wasn't moving. It was parked in my friend's driveway. Took my friends forever to finally find me the next morning."

"That's ridiculous," Santana told her as she sipped her coffee.

"I know, it was so silly." She pointed at Santana. "What did you do?"

"I didn't really do much of anything. I was pretty lame."

"What about last year?"

"Well, last year on my birthday I spent the day at Beth's party, and then after that Puck and I went to a strip club." Brittany widened her eyes. "Yeah, not my finest moment," she laughed as she held her hands up in mock innocence. "Puck said because my twenty-first birthday happened without him, that I must go with him and quote, 'live it up.' It was ridiculous."

"Any hot girls?" Brittany asked. Santana shrugged.

"Not really anything special. I don't see the appeal of those places."

"Does that have to do with you being a cop?"

"I don't think that's it. I just don't find stripping down to next to nothing and dancing around 'sexy.' I guess I'm more old-fashioned." Brittany nodded and drank some more of her drink.

"What _do _you find sexy?" she asked. Santana pondered it for a second before placing the mug on the table and repositioning herself so she was cross-legged across from Brittany.

"Sexy? Hmm, well…" she thought for a few seconds before glancing back at Brittany. "…ok, intelligence is sexy to me. And a sense of humor, that's a huge turn-on. Athleticism is sexy, I like to stay in shape, and I prefer that in someone I'm interested in," she said as her eyes moved quickly over Brittany's body before snapping back to her face. Brittany didn't miss the quick move.

"That's it?" Brittany asked. Santana nodded.

"What about you?"

"Modesty is something I find appealing. I've been with guys that have been egomaniacs and take credit for everything, no matter how small." Santana nodded. "A good body is definitely sexy. I am a freak when it comes to my body. A person's eyes…" Brittany smiled as she set her empty mug on the table. "…the way you can tell so much about the person by the look and shade of them."

"Yep, eyes are definitely a turn-on," Santana muttered as she looked into Brittany's eyes. The shading was incredible. "Your eyes, are like…" she paused as she realized what she was saying aloud. "Never mind."

"No, go on…" Brittany persisted. "What were you saying?"

"Well, uh, I don't know. The way the blue shades, to an almost gray color. It's amazing."

Brittany blushed and touched Santana's arm. "I like your eyes too."

"Yeah?" Santana whispered. Brittany nodded and leaned a few inches closer.

She stopped when she was nearly nose-to-nose with Santana. "Looking closer into yours, I can see the different shades of brown."

Santana gulped at their proximity. She would barely have to push forward and she would feel Brittany's lips on her own. She looked away from Brittany's eyes and down to her lips. Brittany smirked and leaned forward very slowly. As her lips slightly grazed Santana's lower lip, she felt a vibration in her lap. Both girls groaned at the interruption.

Brittany pulled away and unlocked her screen showing a text from Rachel.

**Hey, it's almost 11:30. Don't you have class early in the morning? See you when you get home.**

_Cockblock,_ Brittany thought as she read the message. She sent a quick reply letting Rachel know she'd be home in a little bit and turned the screen off.

"Sorry about that," Brittany apologized. "It was Rachel. She knows that I'm a real pain to wake up in the morning. And I have my early class with Quinn tomorrow."

"No apologies necessary," Santana assured her. "It is kind of late," she yawned.

"Yeah it is. Well, I should probably get going," Brittany said standing from the couch. Santana stood and took both mugs from the table. She placed them on the counter in the kitchen before heading to the dryer to see if Brittany's clothes were finished.

"It's fine," Brittany said when she noticed the timer still had five minutes. "I'm sure they're pretty dry."

Santana pulled open the dryer door and grabbed Brittany's clothes. "Still a little damp. You can wear what you got on, I don't mind," Santana insisted.

"Are you sure? You aren't going to go crazy over your glee club hoodie?" Brittany joked.

"I'll be fine," Santana laughed. Brittany nodded and grabbed her clothes and purse from the counter. Santana noticed the pictures from the ride. "Do you want these?" she asked.

Brittany shook her head. "I'll let you hold on to them. Maybe we can get copies made later?"

"Yeah, ok," Santana agreed. "Well, let me walk you to your car."

"You don't have to do that," Brittany smiled sweetly. "But I'm sure I can't talk you out of it."

"Not a chance," Santana laughed. She opened the door and waited for Brittany to step out before following her down the steps to the ground level. When they reached Brittany's car, Brittany pulled open the door and stood next to it.

"Thanks for taking me out for my birthday. I had an amazing time today."

"It was really fun, I enjoyed spending more time with you," she laughed. "Out of a cop car, that is."

"Would you like to go out again?" Santana blurted out. She could feel her face getting hot.

"Aren't we already going out Saturday?" Brittany asked. Santana thought about it and smiled.

"Oh yeah, the park," she acknowledged.

"I'd love to…anytime, I mean," Brittany told her. Santana flashed a wide grin.

"Ok, well good, that sounds good." Brittany chuckled at the girl's nervous behavior. "Are you fine driving home?"

"Yes, officer," she mocked. "So, I will you see you soon?" she asked. Santana nodded. "Great, I can't wait." She turned to face her car and Santana stepped back a few steps. Brittany turned again and stepped dangerously close to Santana. She licked her lips quickly and kissed her on the cheek before pulling her into a hug. "Goodnight, Santana."

Santana smiled into the hug and exhaled slowly. She had never felt this way before and she had to admit, she liked it. A lot. "Goodnight Brittany."

They pulled apart and Brittany finally sat in her car. She started the engine and waited for Santana to shut the door she was currently holding.

"Let me know you got home safely?" Santana asked. Brittany nodded and winked at her before Santana shut the door. Brittany pulled out of her spot and waved when she passed Santana.

"Damn," Santana whispered to herself as she ran her hand across her cheek where Brittany kissed her.

She finished up her laundry and cleaned the mugs before getting ready for bed. When she finished brushing her teeth, she climbed into bed and noticed her phone was lit up. She grabbed the phone from the bedside table and unlocked the screen. She smiled at the message.

**I'm home, safe and sound. PS, you may have to fight to get these clothes off me ;) (maybe not)**

She laughed at the innuendo and replied before turning the lamp off and falling into her pillows in a state of absolute bliss.

_**Thanks for letting me know. And, I'm up for the challenge. ;) Sweet dreams Brittany.**_

"Best birthday ever," she muttered before drifting to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, going to work. Hope ya'll enjoy it. I've never been to the Universal Studios in Hollywood, only Orlando, so forgive me for lack of description :) REVIEWS SUPPLY ME WITH REASONS TO LIVE. HAHA NOT REALLY but seriously, go review. I want people to read this story and let me know what they like, didn't like, want to see..etc. so get to it fandom<strong>


	11. Chapter 9 part one

**So i'm an inconsiderate person to those who read this :/ but here's an update :) and I'm already working on the next one, so you won't have to wait long. Just been a long hiatus along with school work so love you guys!**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

"So the girl got you wet on the first date? I've got to say, I'm impressed Lopez."

"Har, har, you are a fucking comedian," Santana spit at him as she poured milk into her cereal. As usual Puck had stopped by before their shifts to eat breakfast with her. She was sure he had food at his place. Whenever Quinn bought food it was as if she were feeding an army. Ignoring his cocky demeanor she continued. "We had an awesome time."

Puck softened his expression. "Well it's about time. I'm happy for you Santana, really. You deserve to be happy, and if she's the girl to do that, than good." Santana paused her chewing. She was waiting on a snide remark. "Besides, you both are smokin' hot. I'm sure the sex will be epic." There it is.

"It will," she smirked. Leaning closer to him she whispered seductively. "And I'll be sure to…" she waited as he gulped nervously. "…keep all the dirty descriptions to myself."

"No fair," he pouted before slurping the remainder of his milk from his bowl. He stood up and began washing the bowl in the sink. "You're my lesbro. We share things like that!" When he was finished he put his bowl and spoon back in their spots and pushed her playfully in the shoulder.

She held up her hand and stuck out her pointer finger. "One, _lesbro,_ we do not always share those type of details. Two, I like her, so any comments regarding Brittany and sex, whether with me, or with you will be rewarded with a visit from Auntie Snix, you hear?"

"Deal, deal, damn girl you got it bad!" Puck chuckled as he held his hands in front of him in defense. He leaned against the doorframe. "When you seeing her again?"

"I'm not sure. Your darling daughter invited Brittany and Rachel to go with Quinn and I to see the ducks, so Saturday. I want to see her again though before then."

"Why don't you ask her out? Take her for drinks?" Puck suggested.

"Yeah, I could do that. I'll ask her later." She looked at the clock. "It's ten 'til 9:30, get out of here so I can get ready for an eventful day with another ride-along," she said lacking any excitement.

"Well aren't you all bitter? Not all of your riders can be tall, blonde, and smokin' huh?" She glared as she chewed her cereal. He took the hint and backed away quickly. "Catch you at roll call," he smiled and walked out of the apartment.

Santana ate her food in silence as she pondered how she would get in contact with Brittany again. Sure she could text her, but she didn't want to seem too eager. Truth was though, she was certainly eager. Too eager perhaps and that scared her. She just met the girl and she's already felt more for her than any other girls she's been involved with.

Looking at the clock, she finished her breakfast quickly and headed to the shower to get ready for work. She would come up with some type of plan later.

* * *

><p>"Hey Brittany!" Quinn greeted as she watched her friend walk closer to her seat. Brittany waved and sat down. "How'd it go?"<p>

Brittany yawned. "We had a lot of fun." She looked down at her phone and saw they were about fifteen minutes early.

Quinn waited for more. When Brittany stared back at her without continuing, Quinn frowned. "Oh come on, you can't leave me hanging like that!" she joked. "What'd ya'll do? Where did you go?" Brittany smiled brightly.

"Well, I scored some free swag at Universal Studios from a friend of mine who works there," she told her as she pulled out a notebook from her bag. "We went on some rides, talked, and then went back to her place."

Quinn's eyes bulged out of her head. "Wait, back to her place? Wow that was…" Brittany gasped and pushed her playfully.

"We didn't do anything dork. We went on the Jurassic Park ride and got super wet and decided to go back to her apartment to change and talk more." She tried to avoid eye contact with the girl next to her while they waited for their teacher.

Frankly, she had an amazing time, but she also knew how close Quinn and Santana were, so she didn't want to come off too interested. Quinn noticed the apprehension however and giggled.

"Look, Brittany," she started as Brittany doodled on the corner of her notebook. "I love Santana, and you are quickly becoming a good friend of mine." Brittany looked up at her and smiled. "She hasn't really ever shown an interest in someone for as long as I've known her. It's really great to see such a sweet and caring girl like yourself getting through those walls of hers."

"Thanks Quinn," Brittany lightly grabbed Quinn's forearm. "I just don't know what to say, she's so…" she paused as she tried to think of a word to accurately describe Santana. "…everything."

"Everything?" Quinn smirked.

"It's hard to explain. Her personality alone is great, and I really have a great time talking to her and hearing her stories about herself. She's so complex and yet she has a very levelheadedness about her. And she's absolutely adorable with Beth," she gushed as Quinn nodded in agreement. "I had a really great time with her and honestly the only thing I've thought about since I woke up this morning was when I'll see her again," she blushed. Quinn watched in adoration. "I must sound like a total dork."

"Actually, I'm quite jealous." Brittany furrowed her eyebrows. "You two have known each other maybe a few days and already have a better thing going than I've had my whole life."

"What about you and Puck?" Brittany asked. She wasn't sure of the full details of their relationship, but they didn't seem like there was any bad blood between them and their breakup. They were living in the same apartment with their kid for starters. And they seemed to get along just fine at Beth's birthday party.

"Puck and I had our moments, but we really don't work well together as a couple. It took a lot of arguing and growing up to see that we are better off as friends. And most importantly, that we are the best parents we can be for our little girl. We grew up together, and at times, we were all each other had. His family was never really close and my mother worked so much that we depended on each other for comfort. We didn't actually start dating until the end of junior year." She shrugged.

"Well from what I saw, you two are doing really well, especially with Beth. Ya'll make a really good family," Brittany complimented.

"Thank you Brittany," Quinn returned the arm squeeze and sat back in her chair. "So, I'm really dying over here. _Nothing_ happened last night between you two?"

"Fine, but it's not really that big a deal," Brittany rolled her eyes playfully at the way her friend's face lit up. "Well we were talking about the time her and Puck went to a strip club," she laughed as Quinn's expression changed.

"How in the world did that come up?"

"We were talking about birthdays and how she didn't have a proper twenty-first birthday, so Puck dragged her to a strip club." Quinn nodded. "Anyways, I had asked if there were any hot girls that caught her attention and she said she didn't understand the appeal of strip joints. So I asked what she defined as 'sexy' and she told me."

"What did she say?"

"She said granny panties and cats were totally sexy," Brittany joked and laughed when Quinn shoved her. "She said she thought intelligence, and athleticism, and a sense of humor was sexy."

Quinn waited with wide eyes as Brittany continued their conversation. Brittany noticed Alexis walking in with her supplies.

"Then, I mentioned that a person's eyes were a big thing for me, and she agreed. And then I don't know. I moved in a lot closer and…" she stopped as Alexis clapped her hands to get the class' attention. Quinn let out a frustrated sigh and crossed her arms.

Brittany glanced over at Quinn and stuck her tongue out. "We are so not done with this conversation," Quinn warned her playfully. Brittany let out a slight chuckle and turned her attention to the power-points on the screen.

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><p>"Lopez, your scheduled rider couldn't make it this morning, so you are riding solo today," Sergeant Matthews instructed. Santana very discreetly shot Puck a look and pumped her fist in victory before turning her attention back to the front of the room.<p>

"Yes sir," she acknowledged. Seemingly satisfied with her response, the sergeant continued his briefing before releasing the officers. She pushed her seat under the table and walked up to Puck. "So, what kind of fun can we get into today?" She laughed.

"I guess we'll see," Puck grinned as he adjusted his utility belt. "Same spot?" he asked, referring to their favorite gas station. Santana nodded. He pushed her playfully. "Loser buys the beer."

"I know you know better than to be drinking on the job," a stern voice interrupted. Puck's face froze and he quickly turned around to face their highest official, Chief of Police, Sue Sylvester.

"No...No, ma'am," he muttered nervously. Santana watched as he tried to form an intelligent sentence. "I uh, um, well, we…"

Shaking her head in embarrassment for her friend, Santana spoke up. "I apologize for my fellow officer, here, Chief Sylvester. It seems Noah here was trying to be funny again." Sue quickly nodded and turned her attention back to Puck.

"I need to borrow you," she paused. "I've forgotten your name."

"Puckerman," he answered. "Noah Puckerman. Most call me Puck," he added confidently.

"Don't care," she responded dryly. "Follow me."

He gulped nervously and looked for Santana's help. She held her hands up and shook her head. She didn't know how long Puck would be needed by Sue, so she figured she'd go get her car ready and meet him once he was finished.

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><p>It was close to eleven thirty when Santana's phone vibrated. She had been driving through her patrol area as she waited for Puck and unfortunately had no calls to respond to. She unlocked her screen and smiled as she saw she had a text from Brittany.<p>

**Heyy hope you are having an amazing time at work! :) –Britt**

She pulled into the gas station her and Puck frequent during their shifts and parked. She typed out a message before unbuckling her seat belt.

_**Oh, yeah you know it. Saving the world, one speeding ticket at a time ;) **_

She turned on her iPod and looked through a few playlists before finally settling on one with some of her favorite Amy Winehouse songs.

**Wow, not long into your shift and you're already giving out speeding tickets! Remind me to never drive in your zone ;) –Britt**

Santana chuckled.

_**Haha, no I haven't given out any tickets. I've been completely bored out here. Puck's still at the station with the Chief, so I'm sitting in my car waiting on ANYTHING to happen. Did you just get out of class?**_

**Yeah, besides messing around with Quinn, it was pretty boring :/ She had to do something, so we skipped out on lunch together. Now I'm just waiting on my 2pm class. –Britt**

_**Ahh, I remember the days ;) **_

**Yeahhh. So, I had a really great time last night. :) –Britt**

Santana smiled widely. She hadn't had so much fun in such a long while. She thought back to when they almost kissed and cursed Rachel for having the senses of a cockblocking ninja.

_**I did too. :) It's a shame you had to leave when you did.**_

**Oh yeah? Why's that? ;) –Britt**

Santana thought about a response. She didn't want to sound too forward especially since she wasn't really sure how Brittany even felt about her.

"Tell her that you were looking forward to trying out some new lesbian techniques," a male voice next to her window laughed causing her to shriek lightly.

She clutched her phone to her side as she tried to catch her breath. "Puckerman, what the hell?"

"What? You should definitely be more aware of your surroundings, especially when you're in your car," he grinned. He pointed to the phone. "So why is it a 'shame' she left when she did?" he mocked.

"How long had you been reading over my shoulder?" she asked looking around the nearly empty lot.

"Just a minute or so," he shrugged. "C'mon, let's go inside."

She cut the engine and stepped out of the car to follow him in the store. She noticed her favorite clerk, Lauren, was sitting on a stool behind the glassed counter. "Zizes, what a treat!"

The girl on the stool looked up from her wrestling magazine and laughed. "Oh shit, if it isn't the two biggest trouble makers in Los Angeles. How's it going, Lopez, Puckerman?"

"Pretty good," Santana answered. "How'd that wrestling match go last week? I wanted to show off my car but you weren't here!"

"I'll put it to you this way." Lauren leaned closer to the glass. "Think of a snake approaching its prey. Slow and precise, and knowing exactly when to strike."

Puck nodded. "Yeah, I can see that. So you…" she cut him off.

"I was the one with the ax who cut the head off before the snake was able to do any damage," she said venomously. Santana widened her eyes. She had never quite gotten Lauren's messages, but they sure did freak her out sometimes.

"So, you, cut his head off?" Puck asked. The girls rolled their eyes. "What?"

"You're lucky you are pretty, Puckerman," Lauren said soothingly. Puck just glared as he walked away. Lauren laughed and turned her attention back to her magazine as Santana headed towards the drink section.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't doubt it if she _did_ cut his head off," Santana reassured him. She giggled when Lauren muttered something about hearing her. "Anyways, what did Sue want?"

His expression lit up as he remembered what he was going to tell her when he pulled into the lot. "Alright, well rumor has it Shaw and Daniels are relocating somewhere out of L.A. within in the next few weeks. There were a few recommendations in favor and Sue was letting me know that we had a really good chance in replacing them."

Santana perked up. "Wait, we!" Puck nodded. "That's awesome!" She celebrated. "Wait," she froze. "Why didn't she talk to me about it?"

"You just got back out here. She wanted to let you get comfortable again before jumping into detective. We will hear more about it by mid-September."

"Oh shit, this is amazing," Santana laughed. "Oh wow, did you tell Quinn yet?" Puck shook his head.

"I wanted to wait until it was official. You gonna answer that text from earlier?" He asked pointing to her phone in her hand.

_Shit! _She thought to herself as she unlocked the screen. She noticed Brittany had texted her again.

**Did you finally get something to do? :P –Britt**

_**Sorry, got some good news from Puck about work! :) **_

After she sent her response, she grabbed a bottle of water and closed the door. "So, what does this mean for me and my "rider" duties?"

"You'll probably get to stop that once they go," Puck told her. She smiled widely. "Don't look so broken up about it."

"What? No, I love it. I mean, when else can I force people to ride with me for 10 hours straight?" Her phone buzzed twice.

**WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU AND BRITTANY LAST NIGHT? -Quinn**

**Awe, yay! What's that? Btw, way to ignore a text hun ;) –Britt**

She reread the text from Brittany before switching to Quinn's.

_**Wouldn't you like to know Quinnie? ;D**_

She walked to the chips section and picked out a bag. She looked up when she heard the bell on the door chime. Two teens walked in and headed towards the candy.

"C'mon Lopez, you are way too reserved. Lighten it up a little. The girl is into you," Puck spoke. She sent him a glance before setting her items on the counter for Lauren to ring up.

"I feel like a teenager," she chuckled. "What do I say to her? 'I really wish you stayed so I could shove my tongue down your throat?' I'm not you."

"I'm offended," he laughed. Lauren gave him a pointed stare and rang up their stuff. Santana swiped her debit card and waited for her receipt.

"Ya'll are entertaining," Lauren observed as she slid the receipt under the glass.

Santana motioned to the teens in the store. "Let us know if they give you any problems."

"Alright, get out of here," Lauren laughed. "Go fight crime or something."

They waved goodbye and headed towards their squad cars. Santana set her stuff on the hood and pulled her phone out. She smirked at Puck before typing out a response to Brittany's text.

_**I was hoping since we both enjoyed last night so much that we could get together again. What bout tonight?**_

Puck clapped his hands and opened his door. "Looks like you finally got some balls."

She grimaced. "Thanks, that's two more than you."

**SANTANA LOPEZ –Quinn**

**Hmm…that sounds great! Name the time and place. –Britt**

"Quinn's ridiculous, we gotta find her a date," Santana laughed. "She is worse than you when it comes to details of my sex life."

"Doubt it," he said nonchalantly as he bit into his hot dog. "Well, you have fun sexting, I'm gonna go drive around. Hopefully _something_ happens today," he exaggerated.

"Doubt it," she countered and waved him off. She watched him pull onto the main road. As she opened the door to her car, she heard loud bickering coming from inside. She tossed her stuff into the car and burst through the store. She noticed the teens were standing close to the counter. She sent a quick glance to Lauren who looked equally pissed and proud as she held the two boys by their hooded jackets.

"What's going on in here?" She questioned.

"This crazy bitch attacked us officer," the smaller of the two cried out.

Santana crossed her arms over her chest and stared. "Oh really? Is that what happened?"

They remained quiet as Lauren spoke up.

"When ya'll walked out, these two tried to shove a bunch of candy down their pants. They tried to run when I caught them, but no one gets away from me," she barked as she stared them each down.

Santana sighed. "Alright, this is how it's gonna be," she instructed. "You two can pay for all of this stuff you just tried to steal and I'll let you go with a warning, or we can have your parents come down to the station while you sit in lockup. What'll it be?"

"You can't do shit," the other teen spat out. "We didn't even leave."

"Ok, first of all, you're all over camera. Second, you are obviously supposed to be in school right now, so I can also bust you for truancy," she spat back. They shrugged in defeat and she motioned for Lauren to let them go. "How much do they owe you, Lauren?"

"17.63," she calculated on her register. Santana looked over to the boys and waited.

"Your call boys," she told them. "I know of a few guys in lockup that really dig the little guys," she winked.

The smaller boy tossed a 20 on the counter and ran out with his friend in tow. She smirked at Lauren.

"Thanks, Lopez. Totally could've handled it though," she joked. Santana shrugged her off and started walking out.

"No problem. That's how we do in Lima Heights," she said using her thug voice.

She got in her car and responded to her favorite girls before heading out to patrol the area.

_**Jeez, Quinn nothing happened. I mean, we had an amazing time, but nothing more than talking and a little flirting. We are going out tonight!**_

_**Let's meet at the coffee shop in your building. I would love to see firsthand how awesome Glo is :) Besides, I feel like you always get stuck driving to me. I get off at 10 if that's not too late ;)**_

_**TO BE CONTINUED **_

_**You know what to do :) REVIEW, FAVORITE, ALERT, MESSAGE**_


	12. Chapter 9 part two

**HEY :) HERE YA GO! BTW HEYA IN MEXICO. ME GUSTA!**

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><p><strong>heyaislove is my tumblr so contact me there if you have any questions!<strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 9 Part 2<strong>

Santana grinned widely. Having spent all day anticipating her evening with Brittany, she was glad to finally be off of duty for the night. She didn't necessarily have a boring day, either, having dealt with two stabbing cases within three hours of each other. She laughed when she texted Brittany about them. The reactions she had received were entertaining.

After changing out of her clunky uniform into cut off jean shorts and a grey baseball tee with "LAPD's finest" printed on the chest, Santana checked her reflection in the locker room mirror. Pleased with her appearance, she grabbed her gear and walked out of the deserted area. She glanced around at the few faces that remained in the building and waved at the slightly annoying drug unit detective that sat at his desk across the room. Nothing could break her mood.

Fifteen minutes later she was pulling into the lot to Brittany's apartment complex. She parked her car and peered at the tall building. It sure was a nice complex, one college students definitely could get into trouble in. She grabbed her purse from the floor before sliding out of the car and walking towards the coffee shop. She sent Brittany a text letting her know she was there and looked around the café when she stepped in. It was dimly lit, with scattered round tables in the middle of the room, along with smaller booths lining the walls. She noticed various paintings on the walls around the whole store, while the wall behind the cash wrap seemed to be drawn on by the workers. She smiled when she noticed a small microphone and dancer in one corner with the initials "RBB" and "BSP" below their respected drawings.

"Like what you see?" she hears from behind her. Smirking, she turns around and takes in the girl who belonged to that recognizable voice. Her smirk fell into a dumbfounded expression. Brittany stood there in a USC hoodie and very short running shorts, hair straight and falling below her shoulders.

Santana gulped and nodded. "Very much so," she answered. Brittany blushed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You look comfy," Santana teased, gesturing to Brittany's clothing.

"Hey, it's ten thirty," Brittany pushed her shoulder. "You are so lucky I was still awake!"

"Ok, that's fair," Santana laughed. She motioned to the counter. "What can I get you for hanging out so late with me? A coffee?"

"Hot chocolate please," Brittany smiled politely. Santana nodded and stepped up to the cashier. She opened her mouth but was cut off quickly. "Oooh…and extra marshmallows. And whipped cream. With chocolate sauce too please."

"Anything else?" Santana rolled her eyes playfully. Brittany shook her head and walked to a booth towards the back window. "Too cute," Santana muttered before looking over at the young boy at the register.

"She totally is," he smiled dreamily. "Brittany's awesome." Santana nodded in agreement and told him their order before meeting Brittany at the table. She slid into the booth and turned so she was facing her. Brittany copied her motions and smiled widely.

"Thanks. I'm really glad we're doing this. I really like hanging out with you."

"I really like hanging with you," Santana replied. She adjusted her position on the booth once again so she could lean her arm on the back of the seat. Brittany took notice of how much closer Santana was.

"You do?" Brittany asked playfully, poking Santana's knee. Santana giggled when Brittany poked a few more times. "Are you ticklish?"

Santana bit her lip and shook her head, hoping Brittany wouldn't catch on, but it was useless. Brittany had already started her attack on Santana's leg which caused a stream of insistent begging to pour from the girl.

"I give, I give," Santana cried out as she watched the evil glint in Brittany's eye. She moved her hand over Brittany's to stop further movement when they heard a stifled cough from the other side of the table. They both looked over and saw the boy standing there with their drinks. Brittany frowned at the interruption and gave him a pointed look. Santana thanked him and turned her attention back to Brittany, her hand still clamped over Brittany's on her own leg.

"What did you get?" Brittany asked, pointing at the large cup in front of Santana. She gripped her hot chocolate and licked at the whipped cream. Santana licked her lips and forced herself to look away from the innocent act in front of her. Brittany mentally complimented herself as she watched Santana glance down at her own coffee.

"A caramel latte with an extra shot of expresso," she answered before taking a small sip. "Oh, wow," Santana moaned. Two could play at that game right? "That is so good." She took another sip. "Goodness. You want to try it?" she gestured to Brittany.

Brittany smiled and nodded. Santana squeezed the hand below hers and motioned for her to take a sip. Brittany leaned forward a little to reach the cup. But instead of pulling the cup into her hands, she instead used her pointer finger to tilt Santana's chin inwards before capturing her lips in a kiss. Santana's eyes widened as she registered what was going on. _Brittany's kissing me! Oh wow, this is happening. Shit, shit, kiss back!_

Brittany smirked against Santana's lips when she felt her finally responding to her. It felt like she had waited forever to kiss Santana. It had only been a few days, but that seemed too long. Now sitting here, in a deserted café, without any interruptions was definitely perfect. She drew back after a few moments and sighed happily. She opened her eyes and noticed the dopey grin on Santana's face.

"Wow," Brittany chuckled. "You were right, that is good." Santana opened her eyes and caught Brittany's playful wink. She laughed and shook her head before ducking her head bashfully. She wasn't used to this feeling. Brittany grinned slyly and took a sip of her own drink. "So, stabbings, huh?"

Santana snapped her head up and caught the humor in Brittany's eyes. "Yeah, they were pretty bad," she shrugged. "I guess I'm used to it by now though. LA is a pretty active area."

Brittany asked a little about what happened as they sipped their drinks. Santana recounted the incidents and answered the other girl's questions. She had glanced down at their intertwined fingers and wondered when that had even happened. She noticed how comfortable she felt at that moment sharing stories about her day with Brittany as they sipped coffee and hot chocolate, holding hands as if they do it all the time. It brought a smile to her face and she couldn't help but brush her thumb on the back of Brittany's hand.

"So what was the news you got earlier?" Santana eyes widened slightly. She had forgotten all about that. Brittany smiled and squeezed their hands encouragingly.

"Well, Puck spoke with our Chief of Police today, and found out that we are most likely replacing the two detectives that are leaving next month. His face was priceless when she first asked to talk to him though," Santana laughed.

"San!" Brittany squealed as she pulled Santana in for a bone-crushing hug. "That's amazing! You would be a badass detective!"

"Oh you think?" Santana asked teasingly as she pulled out of Brittany's death grip. "I bet I would too."

"You'd be just like Angie Harmon on Rizzoli and Isles! Well, if you did homicide investigations. And you're hotter," Brittany rambled. Santana blushed and took a sip of her coffee as she continued to watch Brittany's face light up.

"Well I'm glad to know I've got people that are excited for me," Santana thanked. She could just picture her parents when she told them.

"Who wouldn't be excited for you? This is a big deal!" Brittany questioned. Santana shrugged.

"Not important." Brittany huffed. "Enough about me and my life. I want to know more about you."

"What would you like to know?" Brittany asked.

"Anything and everything," Santana admitted, this time causing Brittany to blush.

"Well, I got asked to dance in the fall festival by my old professor today."

"What did you say? I know you said you didn't really like any of them." Brittany nodded.

"I told them I'd think about it. I love to dance, and it wouldn't be anything more than just for fun. And plus I'd see Rachel more. Oh and definitely would see Kurt a lot more. And Quinn's gonna look into auditioning too."

"Sounds like you kind of just made your decision," Santana winked. Brittany rolled her eyes and agreed. "Kurt, he was nice! I'll definitely have to thank him sometime for yesterday. And you too."

"It was nothing," Brittany smiled sweetly. "Besides, being here is already better than anything you could give me," she challenged.

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Are we sure about that, Miss Pierce?"

Brittany flirted back. "Why don't you tell me?" Santana didn't need any more than that. She pushed aside the hair that had fallen in Brittany's face before leaning in to kiss her. Brittany smiled widely and tucked her free hand behind Santana's neck to pull her closer. They spent a few moments in that position before they heard another cough. Santana sighed at the loss of contact and glared up at the cashier from before.

"Hi, what can I do for you?" she asked agitated. Brittany bit back a laugh as she kissed her cheek and cuddled into her side.

The boy sensed he wasn't wanted as he shifted nervously in front of them. "Do you, um…would you like refills?" Santana widened her eyes and looked over at Brittany.

"No thanks, Bryce," she responded when Santana just shook her head and mumbled something about Berry ninja senses. He walked away knowing he probably just lost his tip.

"Unbelievable," Santana shook her head with a laugh. Brittany leaned in and kissed her quickly before standing up. Santana looked at her watch. It was close to 11:30.

"I want to show you something, if that's ok?" Brittany asked offering her hand towards Santana.

"Definitely." She took her hand and followed her through the double doors that led to the lobby of the complex. Brittany pulled her to the elevators and hit the button to activate the doors. Once they stepped inside, Brittany hit the button for the 7th floor and they watched the doors close. "Any clues?" Santana asked.

Brittany shook her head and brought their hands to her face before giving a light kiss to Santana's hand. Santana felt her pulse increase and couldn't believe how well the night had gone. She wanted nothing more than to feel Brittany's lips on her own again.

The elevator stopped moving and the chime indicated they had reached the floor Brittany chose. The doors split revealing an empty hallway with a couple doors. Brittany dragged her to one at the end of the hallway and pushed it open. The climbed the stairs and found a door that read, "Roof Access."

Brittany opened the door and motioned for Santana to follow her out. Santana obliged and took a look around. The view from their spot was amazing. The building overlooked downtown Los Angeles and its nightlife. Brittany showed her around the whole area, which included an expansive patio area for sunbathing during the day, along with a small bar area and hot tub for evening activities.

"This is so much cooler than my place," Santana said in amazement. "You see things like this in movies," she gestured around them.

"I love coming up here," Brittany told her as she pulled them over to a lounge chair. She sat down and leaned against the back, gesturing Santana to sit down too. Santana sat and slid back so she could rest her head against Brittany's shoulder. "Sometimes when I've had a long day I'll come up here to think. I used to be up here all the time when I was a dancer. I would be so frustrated by the others that I would move around the furniture up here and work on my routines until I could barely stand. Rachel found me up here one night after a particularly rough class and yelled for nearly an hour about wearing myself out. It didn't help that I was out here in the pouring rain and dancing like a complete idiot on the roof," she chuckled. Santana ran her hand along the arm across her midsection. "I'm glad I'm finally out of that."

"Sounds like Rachel is a really good friend," Santana stated. She had seen how they interacted at Beth's party. "It's good to have people like that in your life."

Brittany nodded and pulled Santana's hands together with her own. She felt Santana's chest rise and heard the yawn that followed. "You should probably get going. I wouldn't want you to be cranky for work tomorrow."

Santana tilted her head to glare at Brittany. As soon as she did, Brittany stuck her tongue out at her and chuckled. Santana turned so she could hover over Brittany's lap and began tickling the laughing girl.

"Now who's ticklish?" Santana laughed out. Brittany giggled so hard she was gasping for air. Santana finally stopped and stood from the chair, seemingly satisfied with her victory.

Brittany clutched her sides as they ached from laughing and stood up to stand behind Santana who was currently looking out at the city view. She hugged her from behind and sighed. Santana leaned into the grasp and sighed as well. They stood like that for a few moments enjoying the closeness of each other before Brittany finally pulled away and turned Santana around.

"Walk me to my door?" she asked. Santana nodded and took her hand.

When they reached Brittany's apartment, neither knew what to say. They stared at each other for what seemed to be forever before Brittany finally leaned in and kissed her once more. Santana wrapped her arms around Brittany and pulled her closely. She slipped her tongue along Brittany's bottom lip before playfully biting it. Brittany moaned and pushed her tongue through Santana's lips. They battled for a few moments before Santana pulled about an inch away. They were both trying to catch their breath.

"You are so good at that," Santana smiled as she touched her swollen lips with her hand.

"I know," Brittany retorted confidently. Santana scoffed and pulled her in for another kiss. Brittany smiled against Santana's mouth and kissed her quickly before pulling away completely. "You are too good yourself, and frankly, if I don't let you leave now, you may never leave."

"Kidnapping an officer? Kinky." Santana laughed. Brittany nodded as if she thought about it.

"Actually, I was kind of disappointed you changed your clothes," she shrugged. Santana looked down at her own attire.

"What's wrong with this?" She asked pointing down at her clothes.

"LAPD's finest?" Brittany read. "Well, yeah I'm sure they are," she winked. Santana smiled like a complete dork. Brittany leaned closely and kissed her neck a few times before working her lips towards Santana's ear. "But you look so sexy in your uniform."

Santana shuddered at the hot breath tickling her earlobe. She mumbled, "Y…yeah?"

"Mhm," Brittany said swiping her tongue along her earlobe again. "And I've always wanted to try handcuffs." Santana moaned at the thought of Brittany wearing handcuffs in a lot less than what she was wearing now. Brittany smirked and pulled away. Santana followed quickly and kissed her again with much more intensity than the previous times. Brittany backed into the door of her apartment which caused a loud bang. They didn't care. Obviously though, as the universe seemed to work, someone did care. Not two seconds later, Rachel pulled the door open with an iron in her hand.

Santana pulled away and looked at the bizarre girl. Rachel was clad in a very childlike set of pony pajamas along with a sleeping mask that was pushed up on top of her head.

"Oh, Santana, Brittany, it's just you. I thought maybe it was someone breaking in!" Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. She set the iron down and smoothed down here hair. "How's it going?" she asked knowingly, taking in their appearances.

Brittany's hair was sticking around in awkward directions, her lips were looking pretty swollen, and from the dark blue swarming in her eyes, she could definitely sense she interrupted more than just an innocent talk.

Santana on the other hand seemed normal besides her shirt that was pulled more to one side and the mixture of annoyance and playfulness in her expression.

"Rachel, I'll be right inside," Brittany smiled at her roommate. Rachel looked at her and back at Santana. Brittany cleared her throat, hinting to her friend.

"Oh right! Yes, of course I will see you inside," Rachel chuckled nervously. "Goodnight Santana. It was nice seeing you again!" She waved before shuffling inside.

Brittany watched as the door shut before turning back to Santana. Santana rocked back on her heels as she thought of anything to say. Brittany ran a hand through her own hair before tugging Santana's shirt back into place.

"I had a great time," Brittany beamed.

"I did as well," Santana smirked.

Neither of them wanted to say goodbye but knew they had to at some point. As great as the night had gone, they knew that rushing into things could get really complicated and they didn't want that. Santana broke the stare down and pulled Brittany in for a hug. Brittany melted into her embrace loving the way Santana fit into her so perfectly. Santana ran her hand along Brittany's back tenderly. Brittany leant back and kissed Santana slowly.

"Ok get out of here," Brittany pushed her away playfully. Santana feigned shock before backing away towards the elevator.

"Goodnight Brittany," she whispered so she didn't disturb anyone.

"Goodnight Santana. Text me when you are home safe!" Brittany instructed. Santana smiled and stepped into the elevator. She waved one last time before the door finally shut. She jumped in the air like a total dork and freaked out. She couldn't even dream of anything better than that. She grinned like an idiot the whole drive home.

When Brittany walked back into her apartment once Santana left, Rachel was sitting on the couch with a cat-that-ate-the-canary look on her face.

"What?" Brittany shrugged as if there was nothing going on. She started walking towards the kitchen when Rachel whacked her across the arm as she passed. "What?" she laughed unable to hide the huge grin on her face.

"So…"

"So…" Brittany mimicked playfully. Rachel huffed. "Ok, fine! OH MY GOD!" she squealed. Rachel jumped up and hugged her, completely happy for her friend.

"So exciting! Tell me everything!"

Brittany grabbed a bottle of water and sat next to Rachel on the couch and recounted the night's events for her. She was blushing like a fool when she mentioned how she first kissed Santana. Rachel had watched her like she was a cartoon character on a show, bouncing around excitedly. Roughly fifteen minutes later Rachel had excused herself to bed. Brittany began getting ready for bed when she looked at her phone. She had two text messages, both from Santana.

_**I can't even put into words how amazing tonight was. I can't wipe this grin off my face. **_

_**Btw, your hot chocolate definitely tasted much better ;) goodnight Britt xo**_

Brittany grinned like a fool as she read her messages. She finished brushing her teeth and climbed into bed.

**It's a good thing that grin on your face is so adorable ;) I can't wait for next time! I am not a fan of coffee but im sure that tongue of yours could persuade me. Goodnight San –Britt xoxo**

**.**

**.**

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><p><strong>So way overdue…but here it is. Likesdislikes/input/questions/anything…I love it all, so lemme know I have readers out there that want more from this!**


	13. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Rachel had never seen Brittany look as giddy as she was right now, eating a bowl of cocoa puffs and staring into space. If she had to guess, it would probably have to do with a certain lady friend she was with the night before. She was half asleep when she had heard the loud banging against their apartment door, and without a second thought, Rachel had grabbed the heaviest item she could find while sprinting towards the source of the noise. Sure an iron didn't look intimidating, but she had thrown one at her ex-boyfriend, Finn, and he surely didn't enjoy that.

"What are you staring at?" Brittany smiled coyly. Rachel shook her head.

"Nothing at all," she replied with a grin. "I was just admiring the way you were looking at your cereal. Looks like true love is all," Rachel teased.

"Stop it," Brittany laughed. "Am I not allowed to be in a good mood?"

Rachel shook her head. "It's 8:30 in the morning. I am quite sure you haven't smiled before noon since we were in middle school."

Brittany glared as she took another bite of her cereal. She spoke while she chewed, so it sounded something along the lines of, "forgive me for being happy."

"Oh sweetie, of course I'm happy for you," Rachel sat down at the table once she pulled a banana from the counter. She rested her hand atop Brittany's. "It's great," she reassured.

"Well thanks," Brittany smiled and pulled her hand away so she could lift the bowl to her mouth to drink the remaining milk. When she finished it all, she wiped her mouth with a napkin and stood up. "Do you work tonight with Bryce?"

Rachel jumped up from her chair to look at the schedule on the whiteboard she insisted they use to keep organized. Brittany only used it to draw funny pictures.

"Yes, I do work with Bryce tonight, why?"

"Do me a favor and high five him tonight, in the face, with a coffee."

Rachel's eyes bugged out. "Why would I ever do that? He's such a sweet boy. Kind of nerdish, but he's so nice."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "He is such a cockblock." Rachel furrowed her eyebrows. "He was working the coffee shop last night when Santana and I were there. He was like samurai ninja status cockblocking."

"That is rude," Rachel pointed out. "I'm sure he wasn't doing anything out of the norm of his work duties. I mean, I did train him."

"See, that makes sense then, because you are just as bad!" Brittany laughed.

"I resent that," Rachel scoffed as she bit into her banana. "Besides, I don't think either of you could technically be, as you say, _cockblocked,_" Rachel emphasized with quotation marks.

"Whatever. Everyone knows he has a crush on me, even Julie and Aaron have seen him stare at me when I'm working."

"It's cute," Rachel smiled. "He's only 18. You know boys get at that age."

"It's gross," she countered. "Anyways, next time I work with him, or am there, I am totally giving him hell."

Rachel shook her head disapprovingly although she knew there was nothing she could do. "Don't let him break your spirits. You got what you wanted, right?" Brittany sighed.

"So much more than what I wanted," she admitted dreamily. She had woken up feeling completely relaxed and as if she were floating on air. She touched her lips at the thought of the night before and couldn't stop the wide smile forming. "She's such a great kisser too."

"Well, good for you," Rachel smiled. "So now what's going on with the fall festival?"

Brittany groaned.

* * *

><p>.<p>

When she woke up, Santana decided to change things up and headed straight to the apartment down the hall for breakfast. Quinn didn't have class and had already dropped Beth off at preschool.

"Good morning, my lovely bitches," Santana announced through the main corridor heading to the kitchen.

"Hello, Satan," Puck greeted with a fist bump. She slapped his head and hugged Quinn, who was sitting at the table eating an omelet.

"Hello, my dearest Quinnie Pooh Bear," Santana said cheerfully before giving her a kiss on the cheek. Quinn looked over to Puck and shrugged her shoulders.

"What has gotten into you, Santana?" she asked. Puck chuckled. "Don't even, Puck," she warned playfully.

"Oh come on, that was easy," he grinned. Santana poured herself a glass of orange juice and grabbed a plate of pancakes before settling into the empty seat across the table.

"How'd last night go, San?" Quinn asked. Santana smiled down at her food and hid her blush. Quinn ducked her head to get a better look at her friend. "Are you blushing?"

"NO!" Santana chuckled. "I'm just overwhelmed by this _amazing_ food on my plate."

"You are so blushing!" Quinn prodded. Santana covered her face and groaned.

"Fine, yes, I probably was. I can never tell with my skin tone," she replied.

"Did you and Brittany…?" Puck faltered. He remembered the threat he received yesterday about mentioning either of the two girls and sex in the same phrase.

"That still counts, Puckerman," Santana smirked. "And no, no we didn't…"

"Well something happened," Quinn objected. "Care to explain?"

"It's nothing," she argued without any conviction. "We just hung out." She purposely avoided looking in either of their directions.

"And by 'hung out' you mean had each other's tongues down your throats?"

"QUINN!" Santana blurted out. "I'd expect that from him," she said pointing at Puck who wore an amused expression on his face.

"So that's a yes?" Quinn smirked. Santana ducked her head for a slight second, confirming Quinn's suspicions. "HA, it is!"

"So what, is that so bad?" she responded with a large dopey smile on her face.

"No," Quinn and Puck replied in unison. Santana rolled her eyes. She poured syrup over her pancakes and felt eyes on her.

"Yes?"

"C'mon, San, we love you," Puck grinned proudly. "We just want to hear how things went!"

"It's not every day we get this," Quinn gestured to her, "completely vibrant, smiling, dorky girl before 9 am. It's refreshing."

Santana narrowed her eyes at Quinn. "You think I'm being dorky?"

"I'm afraid so," Quinn nodded. "It's cute."

"You think that too?" Santana turned to Puck while shoving a large piece of pancake into her mouth. Puck nodded slowly, afraid of her reaction. "Well that's fine," she responded after a few moments of thinking it over.

"Wait, it is?" he asked.

"Yep, it is." Santana confirmed. "I had a _great _time last night. It was so much fun. And Brittany, well, she's amazing. And gorgeous, and so, so fucking kissable," she rambled. Quinn and Puck looked at each other and chuckled. "I honestly can't believe what I was thinking when I was with those other people. They don't even compare."

"So, it's safe to say you don't care that your ex hook-up partner is hooking up with Brittany's good friend?" Puck asked. Santana shrugged.

"I could care less," she said nonchalantly. "I am happy and Brittany's the reason for that." She chomped down on her pancakes hungrily as she thought of the actions from the night before.

"Well, although it shouldn't affect anything with Brittany, don't you think you should mention to her that her friend is involved with Ashley?" Quinn asked. Santana bit her lip. "You wouldn't want that slipping out from someone else, namely Ashley, and not coming from you first."

"That's true. I will tell her next time I see her," she reasoned.

"I'm so jealous," Puck sulked. The girls looked at him. He glanced over at each of them before shrugging. "I want a hot blonde."

Santana bit back a laugh when Quinn widened her eyes at him. "Oh really, Puck," she warned.

He held his hands up defensively. "Quinn, it's not like that. You are smoking. But we both have moved on from that, right?"

"Yes, Noah," she affirmed while maintaining her death gaze at him. "We both have moved on."

"Ok, cool," he breathed out. She still managed to scare him, even after all the years they've known each other. "I'm gonna, uh, go shower," he muttered before the leaving room.

Quinn shook her head. "I can't believe what I saw in him," she joked. Santana laughed knowingly. Quinn and Puck, as different as they were, were perfect together. That's what made it so easy for them to live together with their daughter even after they've split up romantically.

"He's a sweetheart under all that testosterone," Santana laughed. "And he's one hell of a dad to Beth. You both are amazing."

"Look at you," Quinn beamed. "You are all full of compliments today!"

"I can't help it Quinn," she let out as she stretched her arms over her head. "I feel so rejuvenated, and refreshed."

"I'll have to thank Brittany then!" Quinn joked. Santana laughed and stood up to bring her dish to the sink.

"You go ahead and do that," Santana called over her shoulder as she cleaned off her plate. A loud vibration came from the counter next to the sink. Quinn jumped up to grab her phone before her friend saw it. Santana peered over and saw 'Rachel Berry' on the front screen. "Oh, really? What's this?" Santana gestured teasingly towards her.

"Nothing," Quinn blushed.

"Now who's blushing, Quinnie!" she continued to tease. "Talking to Rachel Berry, are ya?"

"We are just talking, Santana. She's really nice. And she's getting me some help for the fall festival auditions."

"Oh I'm sure," she smirked. Quinn huffed and walked away to answer the text message.

_**Hey, I have secured a slot for you around 2:30pm today if you want to work on your audition! I have many ideas! Just let me know! –*Rachel Berry***_

**That sounds great, except I'll have Beth with me around that time. I can try to find a sitter? **

"Shut it, you jerk," Quinn laughed. "Don't you have things to do?"

"Yes I do. Unfortunately, I have to work soon. So I best be leaving," Santana sighed. She dried her plate and put it in the cabinet. "Don't get into too much trouble," she laughed before kissing Quinn on the cheek.

"What was that for?" Quinn asked. She noticed the smirk had disappeared from Santana's face.

Santana shrugged a little before answering. "Thanks for everything. If you didn't invite Brittany and Rachel to the party, I don't think this would be happening. So thanks."

Quinn smiled and pulled her in for a hug. "No problem sweetie. You deserve this. Brittany's a sweet girl. So don't mess it up," she joked as they pulled away.

"Wouldn't plan on it," Santana giggled. "Have fun with little miss diva!" she yelled as she walked down the hall and out of the apartment. Quinn looked down at her phone and read Rachel's reply.

_**Bring her along! I would love to show her the awesome side of performance art! -*Rachel Berry***_

She smiled and couldn't help the excited feeling in her gut. She and Rachel had been talking nonstop since Beth's party and she was certain there was something there. She wasn't sure if Rachel felt the same way, but she was more than happy to spend time with the girl to see.

**Ok, I think I will! She would love it! I will see you at 2:30 then! :)**

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><p><strong>.<strong>

After breakfast, Brittany decided to go for a run. She had plenty of time before her classes were set to start and was having trouble keeping herself busy. Already having spent all morning in a Santana-induced haze, she needed to do something productive to keep from going crazy.

Four miles later, Brittany was walking back to her apartment when she noticed a woman across the street struggling with some boxes she had been pulling out of a moving van. She quickly made her way over to the woman as she nearly dropped a rather large box.

"I've got it," Brittany assured as she gripped the bottom of the box to hold it steady.

"Thanks! I thought I had it," the woman laughed nervously. Brittany nodded and set the box on the ground.

"No problem. I'm Brittany," she introduced, sticking her hand out to the stranger. "You moving in?" she asked as she pointed over to the apartments behind them.

"Yes I am," she answered. "I'm Tina, it's nice to meet you!" she greeted back. "My boyfriend was going to be helping me this afternoon, but he seems to be stuck at work for the time being."

Brittany nodded in understanding. "Well, I have some time to kill. How bout I help you out? I live in these apartments as well and could always use another friend in the building."

"That sounds great," Tina smiled. "Thank you."

The girls each took a box and headed towards the building. "My roommate Rachel and I live on the second floor. And our best friend, Sam, he lives on the fourth floor. What about you?" Brittany asked as they stepped into the elevator.

"I scored an awesome apartment on the third floor. I love the floor plan," Tina grinned. "I am really excited about this!"

"Me too! Most of the others that live here are either never here or are crabby rich people with no intentions of hanging with college students."

"College, oh yeah? Where do you attend?" Tina asked as the elevator door opened to the third level.

"USC, you know of it?" Brittany asked as she followed Tina to her door.

"Yeah, of course, it's a great school. Congrats! What are you taking? Don't mind the mess by the way."

"I was a dance major with a full ride and everything, but I got really tired of it. I'm taking some criminal justice classes right now and seeing how I like the field," Brittany told her. She set the box she was holding in the kitchen area.

"That's an interesting field. My best friend growing up had talked about being a cop. I could never imagine doing that!"

"I bet it could have its fun moments. So, Tina, what do you do if you don't mind me asking?"

Tina hesitated before answering, which made Brittany a little nervous about asking. "Well, after I finished high school, I took a break from school. I just moved back into the country after quite some time."

"Oh wow, that's interesting. Anywhere cool?" Brittany asked. Tina shook her head.

"Not really, just with some family in Thailand for a couple years. I moved there roughly around the time I turned 14."

"I've never been out of the country," Brittany frowned.

"I didn't necessarily want to go, but I had to," Tina added dimly. "So, what's good around here for food? My treat," Tina offered.

"There's a good pizza place down the road," Brittany suggested.

"Awesome. I only have two more boxes in the truck. How bout I go grab those and you meet me back here in 30, if that's ok?"

Brittany smiled at her and nodded. "That sounds great! I'll go get cleaned up. I'm sure I'm all stinky from my run."

Tina chuckled and waved her off. She looked down at the box labeled, 'childhood' and sighed as she pulled open the flap. She pulled out a small picture frame from inside and set it on the mantle above the fireplace. A tear ran down her cheek as she gazed at the last picture she and her childhood best friend had taken before she moved away.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Puck for the last time, I will not play that with you!" Santana laughed. She and Puck were at their usual hangout- Lauren's gas station, and he had been insistent they play a game.

"Come on, it is fun! You see it all the times in movies." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so it's legit? No thanks." She sipped on her coffee. Puck whined again.

"You are the worst," he pouted. "I bet Brittany could get you to play along."

"Don't think you can immediately assume she can get me to do whatever she wants. I am not, nor will I ever be _whipped_."

Puck strained hard before bursting into laughter. "That's what you think," he managed through loud chuckles.

"I won't be," she insisted, which only made him laugh harder. "Whatever. You can believe what you want."

"I will totally believe that you will be far more whipped than a horse in the Kentucky derby."

She ignored him and sent Brittany a text.

**Hey pretty girl :) Is the day equally amazing yet annoying for you too? **

Puck clapped his hands to get her attention. "San, come on. I bet you will have more fun playing than I would."

_**I was thinking that exact thing! I want to see you again ;) –Britt**_

She looked over at Puck and shook her head. "We are not doing that. For one, we are not highway patrol. Two, I don't feel like getting bitched at not even two weeks back on the road."

**I want to see you too. I know you have your morning class tomorrow. Are you working tomorrow night?**

"You are no fun," Puck pouted.

_**Yep :( I will be working til 12 or so. I'm free Thursday night though! And Friday too! –Britt**_

Santana frowned. She wanted to see Brittany again but it looked like it would be at least two days.

**I'm shifted til 10 til Thursday :/ Friday I am off though, so that's a plus! **

"I'm gonna patrol around, Puckerman," she informed him. He nodded and got into his squad car.

She thought about how to get some alone time with Brittany before their plans to go to the park with Rachel, Quinn, and Beth on Saturday. She figured it wouldn't be the worst thing if she just so happened to stop by the coffee shop after work.

**I could come keep you company tomorrow night at work. I know how boring it must get there.**

_**Aww, you would do that for me? And we could do something Friday if you want. :) -Britt**_

Santana smiled.

**Anything for such a pretty girl ;) And Friday it is! I had better get to patrolling. xoxo**

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><p><strong>:)<strong>

**.**

**-Tina dun dun dun! Will Brittany put things together? Will Santana figure out who Britt's new friend is? How will Quinn and Rachel's little audition session go with the cute little Beth with them? Wait and see! :)**

**Make sure to review! I love feedback and it keeps me motivated!**


	14. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Thursday came slowly for Santana. She couldn't wait for the weekend, mostly to get out of situations, much like the one she was in now. Ride-along duties. Today she was stuck with Alison Krenshaw, a twenty year old who seemed all but happy to be spending eleven hours in a squad car.

"Oh god, what is that smell?"

Puck rolled his eyes and motioned for the girl to get in the apartment so he could close the door.

"Officer Lopez, can we sit outside?" the girl whispered as she pinched her nose to guard from the stench of body odor and feet. Santana shook her head and turned to the owner of the apartment who was walking into the kitchen from his bedroom area.

"Mr. Fuller, could you please explain to me and Officer Lopez why you have called for an emergency today?" Puck asked.

"What about me?" Alison asked. Santana pulled her aside.

"Look, you are a student. I am your supervisor, and that means, you observe. No talking unless prompted, no questions unless they are allowed by me first, and most importantly, no interfering with an investigation, at all. Understand?"

"Yes ma'am," Alison tightlipped before following Santana back over to the two men who had been discussing the call.

"So, let me get this straight," Puck interrupted him. "You have reason to believe someone had come into your apartment, in the middle of the night, ate some of your food, and then left? Without taking anything?"

The man nodded and pulled open his refrigerator. "Look at my milk, I bought this yesterday. I've had two glasses. That's it. This is nearly empty!"

Santana tilted her head back and groaned. "Sir, seriously, is this all you called about? Nearly three glasses of milk taken from your milk?"

"Are you making a mockery of the situation, officer?" he asked. Alison watched as Puck swiftly pulled Santana aside.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Santana let out when they were away from the crazy man in bunny slippers. "This is stupid."

"I agree. Let's just get this done quickly so we can get out of here. My eyes are starting to burn."

"Fine, but you talk to him. I can't handle stupid today."

Puck nodded. They walked back into the kitchen.

"Ok sir, I'm not saying someone wasn't in the apartment. Maybe there was. If they haven't taken anything of importance, I'm afraid we'll be no help here. I'd recommend checking anyone who may have access to your apartment."

"Do you know how much a gallon of milk costs?" the man asked dramatically. Santana rolled her eyes. "No, you don't." The three others in the room stared at him with confused expressions.

"If anything important comes up, call us," Santana informed him. "Here's a direct line to the _non-emergency_ number. Calling for an emergency in a non-emergency situation can get you in trouble."

She handed him a card and power walked out of the apartment with her observer behind her. When they reached the car, she let out a loud noise, breathing in fresh air.

"That was so stupid," Alison commented. "Do you guys always get calls like that?"

Santana nodded. "I'm afraid so."

"Can't you charge him with something?" she asked.

"And spend more time breathing that air? No thanks," Santana fanned her face. "Damn my eyes hurt. It's even worse than when I have to go to the morgue."

"You have to go to the morgue!"

"Only when the real crime happens," Puck answered for her. "I feel like we haven't had a good call in a long while."

"No kidding," Santana agreed. "It's 7:30 already? Nice." She was spending time with Brittany again tonight and had been counting the hours down. Brittany had texted her letting her know she'd be at work until midnight again since no one else would be able to work.

She pressed the mic on her radio. "Dispatch, this is A35-3, clear at burglary call. Clear for service."

"I was just wondering," Alison began as they walked back to the squad car. "Do I have to stay the whole shift?"

"I guess it would depend on your teacher's instructions for this assignment. What did she say?" Santana asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, technically you can leave anytime you'd like."

"Really?" she asked. Santana nodded. "Could you drop me back off at the station? Grey's Anatomy is on soon!" Puck laughed and saluted as he jumped into his car.

"You want to miss the crime-fighting in real life for a television show?" Santana asked.

"We aren't even doing anything cool. You've talked to homeless people and stinky people all day. This is nothing like CSI: Miami."

"Right, I wish I could be that cool," Santana sighed. "Let's get going then."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Hey Rachel," Quinn greeted as she approached the stage with Beth beside her. "I'm sorry we're late."

"No worries. It's only 2:45," she said as she walked down the steps. "Are you ready for more fun?" she asked Beth. Beth just nodded before walking over to the steps and climbing so she could stand on stage.

"Don't mind her. She's been kind of quiet today. I don't know what happened. Yesterday she was so thrilled to be here."

Rachel nodded. "We can reschedule if you want. I don't mind."

"No, no, don't be silly," Quinn shrugged. "She'll be fine."

"Do you think she may not have had a good time yesterday?" Rachel asked. She wanted Beth to be comfortable.

"She had a lot of fun. She couldn't stop talking about it all night, and even this morning she was so excited. She must've had a bad day at preschool. I'll talk to her after."

"Ok, well here, let me take your bags and jackets. I'll put them over there with my stuff," she offered. Quinn smiled and handed her stuff to Rachel.

"Beth, what would you like to see performed today?" Rachel asked when she returned. Beth shrugged.

"Let's get started on some of the rehearsal stuff for the fall festival. She'll be fine, I promise." Rachel nodded and set up her iPod.

"Beth, honey, are you feeling ok?" Quinn asked as she crouched down. Beth nodded. "Do you want to leave?" She shook her head quickly. "Ok, well you let me know." Beth nodded again. Quinn kissed her cheek and stood up to meet Rachel in the middle of the stage.

Rachel pressed the play button on her remote and waited for the music to start. When the song started, she began demonstrating the choreography for Quinn.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Brittany was sitting in the coffee shop before her shift was set to start at 4 when she noticed Tina walking in.

"Hey!" Brittany greeted. Tina turned and followed the sound to see her newly acquired friend sitting at a table.

"Hey Brittany, how's it going?" she asked as she walked over.

"It's going good. Just waiting on my shift," she answered, pointing over towards counter.

"You work here?" Brittany nodded. "That's awesome. I've always wanted to work in a coffee shop."

"Have you been looking around for jobs? We could always use more help here. It gets kind of busy and it seems like only a few of us are able to work a lot. I had to cover someone's shift today."

Seriously? Do you think so?" Tina asked hopefully. She had been looking around the area for jobs and not many places were looking.

"I could ask. Do you want to meet my boss? She's here now, and I'm sure she would love to hire you."

"Oh wow, that would be great! Thanks!" Tina smiled. Brittany smiled back and headed through the doors behind the cash register. A few minutes later she returned with a redhead behind her.

"Hello, I'm Emma," she greeted as she held her clipboard to her chest. Brittany walked back to her table and sat down.

"I'm Tina, it's nice to meet you."

"What's your favorite type of coffee?" Emma asked. Tina narrowed her eyes slightly and thought about it.

"Well, I really like iced coffee, but I've been obsessed with cappuccinos lately."

"You're hired," Emma said quickly.

Tina widened her eyes. "Wait, what? That easily?"

"Trust me Tina, you already know more than half of our staff does about coffee, and frankly, we could use the help. When can you start?" Tina looked over to Brittany who was giving her a thumbs-up.

"Today? Tomorrow? Whenever you need me," Tina told her.

"Great, come in tomorrow morning at 10 and we'll get your paperwork started. Ok?"

"Sounds great, thank you!" Tina said, completely in shock at how easy that was. Emma smiled and walked back to her office. Tina sat down at Brittany's table and laughed. "That's insane. I got the job. Thank you."

"No problem. This shall be fun!" Brittany grinned. "When do you start?"

"She told me to come in tomorrow to get paperwork started."

"That's great. Well I've got to go clock-in, would you like a coffee?"

Tina shook her head. "No thanks, I guess I'd better go call my boyfriend and let him know! I'll see you. Thanks again!"

"Bye!" Brittany waved. She stepped behind the counter and clocked in on the main register before pulling her apron on. After refilling a few cups around the café, she walked back to the counter and pulled her phone out.

**Heyy :) Can't wait to see you tonight!- Santana**

_**Me either! Only a few more hours of work and then freedom! What are we doing tomorrow?**_

She smiled and watched as an elderly couple walk up to the counter to order.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Santana had finally pulled into the station, at ten minutes til 10. Alison was still with her and had complained endlessly about missing Grey's Anatomy. Santana wasn't happy either, having to listen to the multiple reasons on why Meredith and Derek didn't work as a couple for the past two and a half hours.

On their way back to the station the first time, a fight broke out in a crappy neighborhood, forcing her and two other officers to respond. The second attempt was delayed due to a stabbing at a McDonald's parking lot. That one took a while to sort out the details. Apparently the man at the register had 'cheated' a customer out of french fries. That caused the disgruntled customer to flip the man over the counter and attack him. Santana couldn't help but agree with the customer when he was retelling the story.

"Ok, well I had fun today," Alison said as she pulled her purse from the car. "I don't know how you deal with these stupid people every day."

"It's tiring I suppose," Santana shrugged. "But I love my job."

"Good luck with that," Alison said before walking off.

Santana shook her head and sent Brittany a text to let her know she was on the way.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Around 4:30 Rachel and Quinn called it quits. They had spent close to two hours going over the choreography for certain parts of the show and they needed a break. Beth had been dancing with one of the other dancers from the show, so she offered to watch her as the girls went to get some waters.

"So, how are classes going?" Rachel asked. They were outside the auditorium by the vending machines.

"They are good, a little tiring." Quinn answered. "Between those, this festival, and then being a full-time mom, it's a little tough, I can't lie." Rachel nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, well you seem to be handling it all very well," Rachel complimented. Quinn blushed. "Seriously, I wish I had the willpower you do!"

"Stop it," Quinn laughed. "I'm not that great. You have a lot of things you are doing too. Classes, the festival, work, singing training…that's a lot more than me!"

"It is a lot, but I love it all." Quinn nodded. "So are there any improvements with the one girl in that other class of yours?"

Quinn shook her head. "No, and I don't know what I'm gonna do about her. I can't keep doing everything while she just takes me for granted. I feel like I'm always just cleaning up after her."

"That's no good. What does Puck think?"

Quinn laughed. "He thinks I should kick her ass. Or report her for something. Get her kicked out. I don't know. I'll have to talk to her before it gets that serious."

"Of course, I would too. Don't let her take advantage of you. You're a great person," Rachel smiled, grasping Quinn's shoulder lightly.

"Thanks Rachel," she said grinning foolishly. "We should get back in there."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Hello Officer, what can I get for you this evening?" Brittany flirted as Santana approached the counter.

"Are you taking personal requests?" Santana flirted back. She leaned her elbows on the counter and rested her chin on her hands.

"Depends on whose asking," Brittany winked playfully before mimicking Santana's position so her face was level with hers.

"Well, in that case, I'd really like..." she paused as if thinking about it. "…you."

Brittany smirked and began to respond when Santana moved in and pecked her on the lips.

"What was that for?" Brittany asked with a shy smile. Santana shrugged.

"I can't help myself," Santana chuckled. "Can I get a caramel latte please?" Brittany looked around and saw they were practically alone. She pulled Santana to a table in the corner away from the rest of the café and pushed her into the booth before leaning in to kiss her again. Santana pulled her closer and sighed into the kiss, never wanting this feeling to go away. After a few moments they broke away breathlessly. Santana leaned her forehead against Brittany's and smiled. "So, about that coffee?" she joked.

"You would rather have a coffee?" Brittany pouted. Santana kissed her again, pulling her onto her lap.

She pulled away chuckled. "That pout will be the death of me, I can tell. I don't know which is worse, yours or Beth's."

"Aww, she is too cute, I can't wait to go to the park with her," Brittany smiled.

"Are you going to get in trouble for me being here?" Santana asked. She wasn't planning on going anywhere, but she didn't want Brittany to have any problems.

"Of course not silly," she assured her. "This happens all the time," she said nonchalantly before leaning in to kiss Santana again. Santana pulled back a moment.

"Wait, what!"

"Not with me, you big goof," Brittany said playfully swatting her shoulder. "I meant with my other co-workers and their people."

Santana nodded contently. "Well still, I don't want to get you in any trouble. So don't hesitate to kick me out."

"I can get pretty authoritative," Brittany flirted.

"Oh yeah?" Santana was intrigued. "You'll have to prove that sometime."

"Don't worry," she winked. She leaned closely to kiss Santana when she heard the familiar jingle from the door. She watched Santana sport her own pout. "See, that pout, that's a killer. I'll be right back with your coffee, officer," she smirked before tapping Santana's nose.

Santana leaned back into the booth and sighed happily. She watched as Brittany tended to the customer at the register. She was laughing at some joke the man had told her. She loved the girl's laugh. It was so energetic and addictive. The other night when they talked on the phone, she swore she could listen to her laugh for hours without any reservations.

A few minutes later, Brittany returned with a croissant and Santana's latte.

"I figured you may be a little hungry."

"Thanks. I knew I liked you for a reason," Santana winked before taking a sip of her coffee. "How was your day?"

"It went well. I worked on a paper for my law enforcement class. Then I went running before I came in."

"What's your paper on?" Santana asked.

"You," Brittany stated simply. Santana furrowed her eyebrows.

"Me?"

"Yes. It's a reflection about the ride-along." Santana rolled her eyes.

"Oh yeah, duh…that seems like a long while ago now," she laughed.

"Sure does. It wasn't really just 6 days ago, was it?" Brittany asked as she leaned her head against Santana's shoulder.

Santana counted back the days in her head and smiled. "Yeah, I'm afraid it was."

"Well, I'm glad you were switched that night," Brittany admitted. Santana squeezed her shoulder.

"I am too. And to think I'd completely hate ride-along duty."

Brittany looked up at Santana. "You didn't like it at first?"

"Well, the first kid was ok. Just a little strange. And then I got you, so that was _terrible,_" she emphasized sarcastically. Brittany huffed, causing Santana to place a kiss on the top of her head. "I had a great time that night. Then, I had another rider cancel on me. And don't get me started on tonight."

"What happened tonight?" Brittany asked as she popped a little piece of the pastry into her mouth.

"The girl I had to ride with, she was just loud, and she complained a lot. She got angry because she missed a TV show while out on the road."

"Poor girl," Brittany laughed.

"Right?" Santana agreed. "I'll be glad when these rides are over."

"When will you know about your promotions?" Brittany asked. Santana offered her some of her coffee, to which she sipped some before setting the cup down.

"Hopefully I'll hear something within the next few weeks. Puck and I have already taken the necessary coursework and exams for detective. So we've been waiting for the openings for a few months."

"You'd be a great detective. Detective Lopez, that just sounds so awesome."

Santana tilted Brittany's face closer to hers and kissed her again. "I think you're so awesome. When's your replacement come in?"

Brittany frowned. "He should be here around 11:30. I'm so done working everyone's shifts every time they can't work."

"I'm sorry," Santana sympathized for her. She knew how hard it was trying to take on a full class load while maintaining work.

"It's ok. I got my new neighbor a job here. She's really nice, and she said she was in need of a job, so that'll probably help cover those extra hours."

"Is this the neighbor you were telling me about?"

"Yep, she just moved here, her name is…" she rambled as another customer came in the door. "Damn, this lady takes forever to order. I may be a while."

"No complaints by me," Santana laughed. "Serve and collect right?" she joked.

"Very funny," Brittany said as she walked away.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

When Quinn and Beth got home that evening after grocery shopping, Quinn began cooking dinner for them. Beth had still been in a glum mood, not really wanting to help her mom like she usually liked to do. Quinn took notice and made a mental note to ask Beth's teacher if anything had happened that day. Despite her daughter being upset, she had noticed Beth seemed to really enjoy spending time with Rachel.

She wasn't exactly sure why that was reassuring, but she felt it. She really did enjoy learning the dance moves for the show. Being back in school, engaging in club-related activities and spending time with people her age made her feel refreshed. She had missed out on a lot of things when she got pregnant. A lot of her friends from high school didn't acknowledge her much when they found out and she only kept in contact with a few of her classmates over the years. It felt good to be back in an environment where she didn't necessarily have to be a full-blown parent the whole time.

"Beth, sweetie, dinner's ready."

Beth trudged in the dining area with one of her dolls and sat down in her seat at the table.

"I made macaroni and cheese!" This made Beth smile.

"Thanks mommy." Quinn watched her daughter for a second before grabbing her own bowl and settling down in the seat next to her.

After a few moments of silence, Quinn spoke up. "Sweetie, did something happen at school today?"

Beth shook her head quickly before focusing back on her food. Quinn bit her lip.

"If something happened you can tell me. I wouldn't want you to hide something because you were scared to tell me. It wouldn't make me happy knowing you're upset and can't talk to me."

Beth frowned as she chewed her food but made no effort in saying anything. Quinn rubbed Beth's back soothingly. "It's ok, baby."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Santana finished her coffee while she waited for Brittany to return. Apparently coffee is popular around eleven. Customers kept coming in and being by herself, Brittany had her hands full. It was ten minutes after eleven when Santana stood up and made her way to the counter. She waited by the side while Brittany worked on a Frappuccino.

"Sorry," Brittany apologized. "I didn't think it would be busy."

"That's ok," Santana smiled. "I actually don't mind it."

"Well, my replacement will be here in twenty, how bout we go up to my apartment after? If you aren't too tired, that is."

"Definitely not, I would love to!" Santana said enthusiastically. "I'm gonna go out to my car, I'll be right back." She slapped a ten on the counter and waved.

When she was outside she dialed Quinn's number. She had missed a call from her earlier.

"Hey, what are you up to?"

Santana looked back to see Brittany working hard. "Waiting for Britt to get off work, what about you?"

"Nothing much, Puck just went to bed like a total loser. And Beth, of course, she's been in bed since 8:30."

"How's my angel?" Santana smiled.

"He had a long day at work," Quinn joked before letting her voice get a little serious. "Beth seems to have had a bad day. She has been very passive today."

"Look who she learned it from," Santana joked.

"Bitch, we could call you passive, but it looks like Brittany's fixed that for us."

"Yes she has," Santana admitted. "Quinn, I really like her."

"I'm not surprised. She's a great girl, and so much better for you."

"I can't believe it's only been barely a week since I met her. Can you imagine how different things would be if I didn't work that night?"

"Not really."

"Why not?" Santana asked.

"I met her the first day of classes, remember? Even if you hadn't met her, I'm sure I still would've invited her to Beth's party. So really, I could basically have been your matchmaker if you didn't meet that night of the ride-along."

"That's true. Well regardless, I'm happy."

"That's great. Is she still available coming Saturday?" Quinn asked.

"Yeah she's excited to see Beth again. I swear you have some competition."

"That's fine. You can take my daughter off my hands if you'd like, I don't mind," Quinn joked.

"Don't worry Quinnie, she'll be ok. I'm willing to bet she was just tired of some little puke monster bothering her at school or something. If she's still like that after tomorrow, I'll personally go down to the school and give the kid a healthy dose of my 'verbal beating.'

"You can't beat children. That's unethical."

Santana laughed. She noticed Brittany coming towards her from the café. "Ok, well Britt is off work, so I will see you tomorrow. I'll tell her you say hi."

"Alright, have a good night. Be safe!" she joked.

"You got it. Bye Quinn."

She hung up and stood against the trunk of her squad car. "Quinn says hi."

Brittany smiled and stood in front of Santana. "How's she doing?"

"She's doing well. I guess Beth's been a little sad today."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. I mean, she has you three to take care of her. I'd feel safe."

Santana pulled Brittany in closer by her belt loops. "Is that right?"

"Mhmm," Brittany mumbled against Santana's lips. "You are pretty badass remember?"

"Remind me."

Brittany happily obliged as she kissed her forcefully. She couldn't tire from kissing Santana. As they stood there leaning against the car, Santana suddenly became aware of the random dude watching from a few steps away. She pulled back and sighed. They were always being interrupted by someone.

"You want to come upstairs?" Brittany asked. Santana kissed her cheek before nodding. Brittany grabbed her hand and pulled them towards her apartment building. They stepped in the elevator and impatiently waited for their floor. There was a lanky guy with glasses in the car with them. They stepped out when the doors opened to the second floor. Brittany pulled her key out of her purse and opened the door.

"This is nice," Santana complimented as she followed Brittany inside. "There's a lot of space in here."

"Yeah, I love how much room we have. Sometimes Rachel and I will have dance competitions."

"That must be unfair. I'm sure you'd kick her ass in those."

"Well she beats me in karaoke, so it's about even," Brittany winked. "You want a drink?"

"Water's fine, thanks." Brittany brought in two water bottles from the kitchen before settling down on the couch next to Santana. "Is Rachel home?"

Brittany shook her head. She took a sip of her water. "She's at Kurt's apartment actually."

"Wait, the same Kurt from Universal?" Brittany nodded. "They're friends?"

"Yeah, of course they are. They met in some acting courses at USC and they hated each other at first. I guess they were both afraid of each other. They both have huge egos. But now they are inseparable. I swear they'd be married if they weren't swinging for the same teams."

Santana nearly spit her water out. "Rachel?" Brittany shrugged.

"Well, not so much Rachel. She's more of a switch hitter. She dated one of our childhood friends up until about graduation time. Then they split, and ever since, she's kind of been attracted to girls more than guys. But I think that has more to do with the fact that all the guys, besides Sam, are like, capital G gay."

"Wow, that's funny," Santana chuckled. She noticed Brittany's confusion. "I just have this feeling about Rachel and Quinn."

"You do too?" Brittany asked. "I can totally see it happening. How do you think Puck would take it?"

"Aside from wanting to watch, he'll be fine. He and Quinn have realized they are not good for each other in that way anymore. He has his eye on someone else. Actually, you know her."

Intrigued, Brittany asked, "who!"

"Alexis Robertson."

"Really?" Santana nodded.

"He's convinced she's hot for him. He just thinks she's intimidated by Quinn. Even though Quinn loves Alexis and would be more than happy for him."

"This is crazy. All these interconnected webs of people. I feel like we are part of _The L Word._"

"Which reminds me, there's something I've got to tell you," Santana bit her lip nervously.

Brittany scrunched her face. Santana thought it was adorable. "What is it?"

Santana pulled Brittany's hand between her own. "I was seeing someone, kind of recently, but not really, and…well…"

"Well?"

"It turns out you may know her. Or at least, may know of her?"

Brittany placed her other hand on top of Santana's and nodded for her to continue. "Who is it?"

"Her name is Ashley. She's an ESPN reporter here in LA and apparently she had hooked up with your friend, Sam after the game on Saturday."

"Ya'll were together then?" Brittany asked. Santana shook her head.

"We haven't ever really been together. Well, at least I hadn't thought so. We had been involved, physically. And I haven't really tried to make an effort in seeing her in these past few months, but I didn't want you to hear from someone else about this."

Brittany processed the information as Santana fidgeted nervously with her water bottle.

"So, you aren't together?" Brittany asked. Santana shook her head. "She knows you aren't interested in anything with her?" Santana nodded. "Good." Santana looked up and saw the hint of a smile on Brittany's face. She smiled too and tossed the water bottle down so she could pull Brittany's face closer to hers. She kissed her gently, not wanting to come on too strong. She had been physical with other people, but she felt a lot more than that for Brittany.

Brittany pulled away. "I plan on keeping you around," she stated before letting out a yawn.

Santana grinned at her statement. "You look exhausted, how about I get going so you can get some sleep?"

"Why don't you stay?" Brittany asked as she stood up from the couch. Santana widened her eyes. "Neither of us work in the morning, and we were going to hang out tomorrow anyways, right?"

"That is true," Santana agreed. "I guess that would be ok. We can just swing by my place in the morning so I can get new clothes and then the whole day is ours."

"Then that's settled. And since you've let me wear some of your clothes, you can wear those if you'd like, or not, that's up to you," Brittany winked.

"Very cute," Santana mumbled before kissing Brittany's temple. Brittany pulled Santana into her bedroom to retrieve her clothes to wear. She pulled them out and then sighed. "What?"

"It's gonna sound really lame."

"Try me," Santana shrugged.

"I like sleeping in your clothes," she said ducking her head to hide her blush.

"Awe, that's adorable," Santana giggled. "You wear them."

"You can borrow some of mine."

"Sounds good." Brittany handed her a pair of shorts and a shirt that had Simba printed on the front. "This is cute. Simba was my favorite."

"Mine too!" Brittany squealed. "Here you can use the bathroom. There's an extra toothbrush in the cabinet."

"Thanks Britt," Santana squeezed her hip lightly before stepping into the bathroom to change. She closed the door and nearly danced. She was spending the night with Brittany. Things couldn't get any better.

When she was done changing, she folded her street clothes she was wearing after shift and brought them back into the bedroom. She was unsure where to set them, so she held onto them while she waited for Brittany, who must've went down the hall to change. A few minutes later, Brittany walked into the room sporting Santana's hoodie and sweat pants. She looked adorable and breathtaking all at once.

"Aren't you going to get hot in those?" Santana asked. Brittany shrugged.

"I typically don't mind. Plus we keep it nice and cool in here." She grabbed the clothes from Santana's hands and set them on top of the dresser. "You ready to sleep?" Santana nodded. Brittany squeezed Santana's hand before pulling the covers up from the bed. She started climbing in when she noticed Santana starting to make her way towards the bedroom door. "Where do you think you're going?" Brittany asked playfully.

Santana turned around and gestured towards the living room area. Brittany gave her a pointed look. "I was, just going to go out there…" Brittany frowned, so she added on to the statement. "…to go check the lock on the door."

"Safety first, I like it," Brittany smiled. Santana giggled and quickly checked the door before coming back into the bedroom and sliding in the opposite side of the bed. Brittany cut off the light and settled. When Santana got comfortable under the covers, she was facing inwards towards Brittany, who happened to be staring at her in the darkness.

Santana could feel the heat from her cheeks as she felt Brittany's gaze on her. Brittany smiled and ran her hand along Santana's cheek.

"I'm glad you stayed," she spoke quietly.

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Brittany smiled and shifted closer so there knees were overlapping each other. They were both content in that moment, just looking at each other that time could've passed and they wouldn't have known. After a few moments, Brittany yawned again. Santana caught the contagious effects of the yawn and started feeling sleepy herself.

"You are so beautiful," Brittany whispered, her eyelids drooping slowly.

Santana leaned in and kissed Brittany softly. "Goodnight sweetheart."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

It was 6:30 when Santana heard the screeching ringtone coming from her phone. She looked around for it on the bed but was unsure of where it was. Brittany shifted from her position slightly, which was currently draped over Santana's body. Her leg was intermingled between Santana's and her arm had been stretched over Santana's waist pulling her closely. Finally Santana found her phone buried between the sheets and the bedspread by her thigh. She pulled it out from the covers and silenced the ringer.

She unlocked the screen and noticed she had about a dozen texts from Quinn and Puck, as well as a few missed calls. She quietly removed herself from Brittany's hold and walked out to the living room area to call Quinn. On the second ring, Quinn answered the phone.

"Hey, where are you?" Quinn asked frantically.

"I'm ok. I'm at Brittany's. Are you crying? What's wrong, where are you?"

"I'm at home. Santana, it's not good. It's Beth."

"Whoa, hold on, Quinn what's going on? What happened?" Santana asked, pacing the living room floor. She felt a hand on her shoulder and relaxed under the touch. She turned around to face Brittany, who was half-asleep and still looked breathtaking. The next two words made Santana's knees buckle, lowering herself to the ground as she listened to the sobbing on the line.

"She's gone."

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

..

...

Ok so its kind of mean to leave it there, but don't worry she's FINE! :)


	15. Chapter 12 part one

Chapter 12

Brittany was eleven years old the first time she and her younger sister got into a real argument. Melanie was only seven when she had witnessed Brittany and her friends accidently break a car window at the local park. When all of her friends fled, Brittany begged Melanie not to tell on her to their parents. When they got home that afternoon, Melanie let the event slip while talking to their mother. Brittany yelled at Melanie the whole way upstairs after being grounded. Words never thought to leave Brittany's mouth did as she told her baby sister she wished she didn't live there anymore.

Melanie was devastated. Her big sister, her favorite person in the world, just wished she wasn't around. Later that night, when no one else in the house was awake, Melanie packed her Little Mermaid backpack and disappeared in the night. When the others woke up that morning, Melanie was nowhere to be found. While her parents panicked, Brittany felt guilty for saying such cruel things to her baby sister. She went everywhere she could to find her. She checked the local park. She asked her neighbor Krissy. She even went to Mrs. Rathford's house. And NO ONE went to Mrs. Rathford's house.

Close to 10:30 that morning, Brittany was told to stay at the house with her aunt while the police took down more information from her parents. Brittany didn't want to just sit around while Melanie could be in danger, so she went to the garage to get her bike. She was two strides out of the garage when she heard a sneeze coming from behind her. She jumped off her bike quickly and dashed back into the garage where she saw her sister huddled into the corner of the dingy room.

Melanie had looked so scared of Brittany in that moment. Brittany rushed towards her and pulled her into the biggest hug she could give, apologizing repeatedly for saying those words to her. When their parents arrived home upon hearing the news, they hugged, yelled, and then asked why she would hide out and scare the hell out of them. Melanie simply replied that she was sad and Brittany didn't want her around. But she wasn't allowed to leave the yard, so she settled for the garage.

Thinking back to that scary moment in her life, Brittany was quick to try and help Santana and her friends find Beth. Quinn had dozens of officers scanning the surrounding areas of their apartment complex while Santana and Puck looked through each unit in their building. Brittany was asked to stay in Quinn's apartment just in case any phone calls came through.

She looked around as she waited, just hoping the cute little girl was doing the same thing her sister had done years before. There was no way Quinn, Puck, or Santana could function if something happened to her. After scanning around Quinn's apartment, Brittany grabbed the phone from the charger and headed across the hallway to look around at Santana's place. She was curious to see if maybe the girl had stayed around the building.

After a thorough investigation around Santana's apartment, Brittany decided to head back to Quinn's place. She took another look around Santana's living room area and noticed a capri sun sitting on the kitchen counter. Without thinking, Brittany dialed Santana's number.

"Britt?"

"Hey, I think you may want to come back to your apartment," she told her.

"I'll be right there."

While Brittany waited she looked through the cabinets of the kitchen, seeing if the girl was hiding in one of them. Santana walked in quickly.

"Hey, did you find something?" Santana asked.

Brittany pointed at the juice on the counter. "That was sitting there when I came back over here. It wasn't here the first time we came and looked in here," Brittany whispered. Santana's eyebrows rose.

"She's here," Santana whispered back. She motioned for Brittany to follow her down the hall towards Santana's guest room. She pushed the door open quietly and entered the room. Looking around, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

"There," Brittany whispered, pointing out to the closet door that had been slightly ajar.

Santana nodded and pulled open the closet door, sighing in relief when she saw Beth sleeping in the corner.

"BETH!" she shrieked, snatching the girl from the ground and into her arms. "What in the world is going on! You had everyone so worried!"

Beth was silent as Brittany called Quinn to let her know they had found her. Tears were forming in her eyes as Santana held the girl tightly to her chest. When Quinn burst through the door, her own tears streaking her face, Beth jumped out from Santana's grasp and into her mother's.

"Mommy, I am so sorry," she sniffled into Quinn's chest as she cried. Puck ran into the guest room, completely shaken.

"Oh, my babygirl, you had me so worried," Puck sighed as he picked up his daughter and hugged her as if he was never letting her go again.

Brittany felt she was intruding as she watched the three interact, so she started to walk out of the room when she felt a hand on her forearm. The sight before her broke her heart. Santana looked as if she had lost her puppy. Pouting sympathetically to her, Brittany pulled Santana in for a comforting hug. Santana buried her face in Brittany's neck as the thoughts of what could have been swarmed her mind.

"It's ok San," Brittany cooed silently to her. "Beth is safe," she said as she stroked Santana's hair. Santana sighed contently as she listened to Brittany's soothing voice. She had been scared to death of what may have happened.

Santana pulled away to look up at Brittany. Brittany used her thumb to wipe away the tears on her face. "Thank you Brittany. Thank you for finding her," she smiled weakly. Brittany shook her head in modesty.

"I didn't do much at all," she shrugged.

"You did everything," Santana argued. "Thank you," she whispered before leaning to kiss Brittany's cheek.

* * *

><p>After the search parties ended their efforts, the five of them sat around the living room in Quinn and Puck's place. Beth hadn't told them yet on why she had disappeared, so they planned to get to the bottom of it.<p>

"Sweetie, why would you run away? What happened to make you leave?" Quinn asked as she stroked her daughter's back. Yelling wouldn't work, especially with a five year old. It scared Quinn to death knowing that her five year old was feeling uncomfortable for any reason in their home.

Beth looked around at the familiar faces surrounding her and sniffled.

"Did something happen at school?" Puck asked. Beth nodded solemnly. "Is this why you were so quiet yesterday?" She nodded again.

"Baby, you can tell us, we won't be upset with you," Quinn comforted. "We love you so much and want you to be safe."

"Yesterday at school Billy said my mommy and daddy didn't like me because they were broken up," Beth let out. She looked at Santana who nodded for her to continue. "He said that my mommy will never be happy with me because his mommy and daddy love each other and have him."

"Beth, honey, I love you so much. And I am so happy to be your mommy," Quinn assured her.

"He said that mommies don't like when rooms are messy. And they don't like giving us baths. Or feeding us." she pouted. "And then we went to see Miss Rachel and I didn't think I could have fun. Before we came home, mommy was talking to Miss Rachel and said that she didn't know what she was going to do with me. And then said daddy said she should beat me up. Or kick me out."

Quinn frowned as she listened to the girl. She remembered the conversation with Rachel, but she had no idea Beth was around to hear that, nor did she realize Beth may have been upset over something like this. Puck raised his eyebrows and looked over to Quinn. Quinn shook her head in her hands.

Brittany and Santana were sitting on the opposite couch, observing it all and wondering how it had got so flipped. Beth noticed Quinn's discomfort in the situation and started to get nervous.

"Mommy, please, please, don't be sad. I'll be better. I won't complain when we eat broccoli anymore. And I'll pick up my toys, please don't send me away. I don't wanna go," she cried out, pulling on her mother's hands.

"Babygirl, I could never send you away," Quinn smiled weakly. "Miss Rachel and I were talking about a mean girl in my class. I would never be unhappy being your mommy, ok?" Beth nodded hesitantly. "I was so scared when I didn't see you in your bed this morning. Why didn't you say something to me? Or to daddy?"

Beth began crying again as she tried to explain. "I didn't want you to send me away. I was scared."

Brittany scanned Santana's face and saw the pained expression on her face. She loved the little girl almost as much as Quinn and Puck did. She pulled their interlocked hands up to her lips and kissed Santana's hand before dropping them to her lap again. Santana looked over to her and smiled.

"Why did you hide in Santana's apartment? And how did you get in?" Puck asked as he cradled his daughter in his lap.

"I borrowed the key Santana gave us in case of emergencies. And that's where the good candy is," Beth shrugged. Santana bit her lip to keep from chuckling. Beth loved coming to her place for sweets when Quinn wouldn't allow her anymore. She was never the type to keep from spoiling her favorite girl.

"And why did you hide when we were looking for you?" Quinn asked. "Where were you hiding?"

"Daddy told me one time that when Santana was smaller, she was scared of what people would do or say to her, so her friends told her to come out of the closet," Beth answered. Santana's eyes widened. She looked over to Puck who had an amused look on his face. Beth continued. "Santana's my favorite and she's like a superhero. So I thought, if I hide in her closet, like she used to, maybe I could be awesome like her, and mommy and daddy would want to keep me."

Brittany couldn't help but smile widely at the expression on Santana's face. She looked like she was in between wanting to punch Puck in the face for telling his daughter she was a closet case to wanting to hug Beth until she grew tired of it.

"Honey, no matter what happens…we will always be here for you. I want you to promise that you will never do this again. You had us worried that you were in danger," Quinn smiled.

"I promise. I'm sorry I scared you all." All the adults nodded. "And Santana, I'm sorry I hid in your apartment."

"That's ok sweetie. I am super glad you are safe," Santana smiled. Beth looked over to Brittany.

"I'm sorry I made you skip lady kisses to come find me," Beth apologized, causing both girls to blush wildly.

Santana looked over at Puck who was smirking to himself. "Really Puck?"

He held his hands up in defense. "Hey, I didn't tell her that."

Quinn blushed as she recalled Rachel and her talking about it on Wednesday. "Actually, that is my bad. Sorry girls," she apologized as she hung her head in shame.

Brittany ran a hand through her hair and cleared her throat. "Well..."

"We should eat breakfast," Santana interrupted. "I know you have all got to be starving."

"Beth, daddy and I will talk to you more about this later. Why don't you go change your clothes and we can all go get breakfast."

"Yes, mommy," she complied before kissing her mother's cheek. "I love you."

Quinn's heart melted. She pulled Beth into a tight embrace. "I love you too sweetie."

Beth repeated the affectionate gesture with Puck before running into her bedroom to change. Brittany and Santana stood from their spots on the couch. Santana went straight to Puck's side and punched him in the shoulder.

"Really? You told her I hid in the closet?" Santana asked.

"I told her when she was like, three, or so," he argued. "Kid has got a great memory."

"Lady kisses Quinn?"

"I'm sorry. Come on, it's cute." Santana glared at her friend before taking Brittany's hand and pulling her aside.

"We can skip out if you want. I can make breakfast here," Santana offered.

"That's ok. I don't mind spending more time with them. I just feel so bad for all three of them. This is such an eventful start to the day," Brittany chuckled.

"Well, I am glad that you came with me. I don't know what I would've done without you here," Santana admitted shyly.

"It's nothing, really. But I'm glad too," she smiled. Santana looked back to see Quinn and Puck talking to each other, not paying the other two in the room any attention. She looked back to Brittany and kissed her. "I've wanted to do that since I woke up."

.

..

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><p>Ahhh yes. more to come. i've been super busy trying to line up some internships so the past few weeks have been killer. sorry my loves.<p> 


	16. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

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><p>The stress of Beth's scare didn't carry over into breakfast. In fact, for Brittany, it felt right to be sharing a meal with the people around her. Quinn had been so nice since the first time they met and she was thankful for a great friend. The other girls in the dancing classes she had been in barely paid her any attention. When they did, it almost seemed as if they had ulterior motives. She couldn't even count how many times she had been asked for choreographic advice. But Quinn seemed to really enjoy her company. She actually asked her about her life rather than spilling out any of her drama.<p>

Speaking of drama, Brittany continued to be amazed at how simple Puck and Quinn seemed to be around each other. Instead of bickering like most estranged couples and creating a hostile environment for their daughter, they actually got along. Seeing Puck with Beth was a complete 180 from the initial reaction she had from him at the football game. He is so gentle and loving with Beth. When she cried as she told them all why she hid earlier in the morning, Puck held her to his chest and rubbed her back soothingly, calming the girl tremendously. He seemed to be a really decent guy and she would almost be jealous of him and his friendship with Santana if she wasn't dating her.

_Wait! Why did I think that? _Brittany thought to herself. She could feel the blush on her face. She looked over to Santana who was making a goofy face at Beth. She wondered why she associated what they were doing as dating. _Of course we aren't. Coffee isn't a date. More like friends enjoying each other's company…with their tongues down each other's throats. Was it a date? Does Santana think of it as a date too?_ She shook her head and looked over at Santana again. This time, Santana was looking back and had a cute smirk on her face. Brittany blushed again as she noticed the girl inching closer from her own seat.

"You okay?" Santana whispered when she was about an inch or so away from Brittany's ear. Brittany nodded excessively. Seemingly content by her response, Santana whispered again. "You wanna get out of here?"

Brittany smiled and wiped her mouth with her napkin. Santana took that as a cue to leave and cleared her throat. "Britt and I are gonna go. Thanks for the breakfast Quinn." Puck smirked as he bit into his eggs.

"Are you sure?" Quinn asked as Santana scooped the plate out of Brittany's hands before grabbing her own and taking them to the sink.

"Yeah, we made plans to hang out today."

"Oh ok, well you two have fun!" Quinn chuckled, winking at Brittany when Santana had her back turned. "Are we all still on for the ducks tomorrow?"

"Heck yeah!" Brittany responded too quickly before clapping a hand over her mouth. She noticed Beth's amused expression.

"You are gonna get it now," Beth egged her on when she noticed her mother's stern expression. Brittany looked over to Santana for help.

"Ba...Britt don't worry about Quinn," she paused. She was purposely avoiding Quinn's bitch smirk. She knew Quinn heard the slip. "I've said much worse in front of Beth."

"It's still no excuse," Brittany frowned slightly. "Do you guys have a swear jar or something?"

Quinn chuckled before squeezing Brittany's shoulder. "If we had a swear jar around here, Beth's college would be paid for already."

Brittany smiled at the reassurance and stood up from her chair. She watched as Santana finished cleaning the dishes for her friend. It was so cute the way they all interacted together. "Well I guess I'll see you two tomorrow?" Brittany asked, gesturing to Beth and Quinn. "You have to work, right Puck?"

Puck nodded. "Yeah hopefully within the next few weeks I get out of weekend duty. I'm missing all the hot action." Santana glared at him. "I just meant that it's hot out there at the park. Gotta work on my tan some more."

Brittany giggled and waited for Santana to finish drying her hands.

"Bye Brittany. I can't wait to show you and Miss Rachel the ducks tomorrow!" Beth grinned as she hugged Brittany's side. Brittany crouched down and gave the girl a proper hug.

"I can't wait. You have fun at school today, okay?" Beth nodded and ran to her room to get her school stuff ready.

"As long as the dumb boys don't say anything to her again," Santana pouted. Brittany poked at her playfully.

"Should we go visit this bully?" she joked.

"YES!" Puck and Santana both exclaimed, jumping up as if they were headed to do just that.

"No!" Quinn argued. "You can't go prey on little kids. Beth is a tough girl and she can stick up for herself."

"That's my baby. I will not have some idiot kid telling her things to make her sad," Puck said in defense.

"Let's arrange a meeting then, with his parents," Quinn suggested. She stared at Puck for a few moments before he gave in.

"Fine, but don't be surprised if the parents are total asses just like their kid."

"Daddy, mommy's gonna make you clean the kitchen again," Beth scolded him as she held onto her backpack.

"I'm sorry Beth," he apologized as he scooped her up into his arms. "Let's see that smile." Her mouth widened. "You ready to go to school?"

"Yes, daddy," she nodded before waving at the other girls. "Bye!"

They waved back and smiled at the girl. Not more than two hours ago that little girl was afraid her mom was going to send her away.

"Alright Quinnie, we're gonna go." Santana pulled on Brittany's hand. "We'll see you tomorrow."

Quinn shook her head at her friend's eagerness. Brittany smiled at her and halted Santana's movements to give Quinn a quick hug.

"Don't be too hard on her," Brittany whispered before pulling away.

Quinn smirked and waved them off before grabbing her phone to send Rachel a text. She had been in a panic all morning and called Rachel. She wasn't sure why she did. She lived at least a half hour away, of course there was no way Beth would've been over there. But Rachel promised to come help look if it took longer than a half hour to find Beth. Now that everything was calmed down, Quinn decided to tell her the outcome of it all.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

"Well, that was eventful," Santana groaned as she fell back onto her couch, arms stretched over the top and foot propped against the coffee table. Brittany sat down next to her and sighed lightly. Santana looked at her. "Welcome to the fun times of the crazy bunch."

Brittany giggled lightly. "You guys are nowhere near crazy," she said as she ran a hand through her hair. "I'm glad she's okay."

Santana nodded. "Yeah, me too," she paused, looking at her lap. "It's crazy of all the child cases we get, going out there, looking for those missing kids, we never really empathize with the parents or the family. I never feel what it must be like in their shoes. But, that," she waves her hand towards the door, "that's something I hope I never have to deal with again," she whispered with a shaky voice. Brittany frowned and pulled Santana into her gently. Santana sighed deeply as she felt Brittany's hand caress her back comfortingly. After a few silent moments, Santana sniffled lightly and pulled away to look at Brittany. Brittany's face was filled with compassion and understanding. She knew that Santana was deeply attached with not only Beth, but her friends as well. It's not easy seeing the people you love in pain and trying to be the strong one for them.

"She's ok," Brittany smiled slightly. "And do you know why?" she asked. Santana shook her head. "Because she has you as her hero," she pointed out. Santana grinned widely and settled back into Brittany's embrace. Noticing the lack of tension in her body, Brittany continued. "Besides, all she had to do was follow you out of the closet," she added teasingly.

Santana snapped her head up and glared at Brittany in mock shock. "That is so not funny!"

Brittany tried hard not to laugh, but the expression on Santana's face was too adorable. "It's a little funny." Santana shook her head. "Oh, c'mon you big baby, it was really cute the way she said it!"

Santana sat back against the couch and folded her arms across her chest as if she were mad. Brittany could sense the playfulness in her action, so she re-positioned herself so she could sidle up to Santana's side. She started pouting.

"Sann, aww come on, don't be mad," she whined playfully. "Let me make you feel better," she offered, watching the girl's eyes light up. Santana liked where this was going, so she kept her game face on and continued to act as if Brittany's presence had no effect on her mood. "Santana," Brittany whispered against her ear. She could see the heavier pace in Santana's breathing and smirked before letting her hand fall to the girl's arm. She tugged lightly on the one closer to her and intertwined their hands. Santana's other arm fell to her side and she rolled her eyes playfully at the lack of attention she was getting. "Well…I guess if you're mad, I can go home…" Brittany hinted and began moving up from her spot. Santana smirked and pulled on their connected hands so that Brittany was now lying on her back on the couch and Santana was hovered over her.

"Nuh uh, you are mine all day Miss Pierce," Santana informed her with a cocky smile before leaning forward to kiss her. Brittany smiled and gladly gave into Santana's demand. With her free hand, Brittany pulled Santana closer and hummed into her mouth. She would never tire from kissing Santana. Santana shifted herself so she could get in a more comfortable position against Brittany. Content with her movements, Santana pulled away and began feathering kisses to Brittany's neck. Brittany squirmed as she began to feel very hot in the clothes she was wearing. She couldn't help it. She was still wearing the hoodie from last night as she didn't have much time to change her clothes before heading to Santana's this morning. She pushed Santana away slightly so she could sit up and pull off her hoodie, leaving her in a small tank top.

"Sorry, it was way too hot," Brittany shrugged before pulling Santana against her again. Their lips connected again and Santana was having a hard time keeping from moving too fast. The effect Brittany was having on her was unbearably strong. Still, she knew she would never want to stop if she allowed them to go any further. Groaning as she pulled away from Brittany's skillful tongue, Santana pulled herself off of Brittany to sit against the back of the couch once more. She almost gave in as she saw the look of desire that Brittany was currently sporting.

"Brittany, I…" she started. She wasn't sure what to say at the moment, so she ran her hands through her hair. Brittany's chest heaved as she lay still against the cushions. Finally, after a much needed breather, Brittany sat up and smirked at Santana again.

"I guess you are feeling much better?" she winked. Santana shook her head and laughed.

"I've never felt so good," Santana admitted as she took Brittany's hand once more. Brittany's smile widened. "So, what are we going to do today?"

"I don't mind what we do," Brittany told her. "I would like to go change though. These clothes are not L.A. appropriate."

Santana smiled and stood up. She held her hand out to Brittany and waited. Brittany grabbed it and stood up. "Let's go get you L.A. appropriate," she joked as she pulled her towards the kitchen to grab her keys.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

Since Santana was able to change her clothes while they were at her apartment, she waited patiently while Brittany got ready at her own apartment. While she waited, she observed the pictures hanging on the walls in the living room she and Rachel share. She saw a photo of Brittany and Rachel with a group of random kids. It looked as if they may have been in a group together. Santana assumed it was the glee club they had been in. She looked so happy in the photo with her friends. It was almost too unbelievable that anyone could dislike Brittany. Her personality was so likeable.

She noticed another picture with the two girls, only this time they were sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck. Rachel was snuggled closely to a freakishly tall boy while Brittany had a pretty boy draped around her shoulders. She narrowed her eyes at the way he was leaning into Brittany. Sure, she and Brittany weren't even dating, and this guy was obviously not around anymore, but she would rather not see someone else with the girl she liked.

"That's Jason," a voice startled Santana. She whipped around and saw Rachel standing there with a knowing look. "He's her ex."

Santana nodded, unsure if she should say anything.

"He lives in Ohio. He tries to visit all the time, but Brittany ignores him," Rachel tells her. "He's a total creep."

Santana's instincts kick in. "Why? What did he do?" Rachel holds back a laugh. She was a cop after all.

"Nothing, well, besides from being a total jerk. He was a football player at our school and while he was dating Brittany, he was fooling around with several of the cheerleaders at school."

Santana looked back towards the direction of Brittany's room. Seeing no sign of her yet, she faced Rachel. "So she broke up with him? Does he try to come see her here? Does he know where you guys live?"

"He's never been out here. The only time Britt has ever really seen him since they broke up last year was, um, sometime over break last summer. Ever since then, he tries to say he's a changed man and that he wants to earn a second chance with her."

"Hmm," Santana mutters, walking to sit on the couch to wait for Brittany. Rachel follows and sits in the chair next to the couch.

"There is definitely nothing to worry about," Rachel tells her. "She's the happiest she's been in a long time."

Santana takes that as a good sign. She begins to open her mouth when Brittany's door opens. Shooting her a quick glance, Rachel smirks and begins reading a magazine that was on the coffee table. Santana smiles when Brittany walks out wearing a pair of purple cutoff shorts and a green t-shirt.

"Only you could make the weirdest outfits look like a Vogue runway," Rachel joked as she took in Brittany's wardrobe choice.

"Oh hush," Brittany playfully scolded. She turned to Santana. "She used to wear reindeer sweaters and librarian skirts to school every day."

Santana raised an eyebrow at the thought. Sure, although Rachel seemed to be a bit overbearing, much more Quinn's taste if she was being technical, she had a natural essence that was surely attractive in a school girl outfit.

"There was nothing wrong with the way I dressed. I had and continue to have a sense of style that you all are simply in awe of and wish to recreate. But if you excuse me, I must be getting out of here. Kurt and I have afternoon rehearsals in a few hours and I have to start my therapeutic blend."

Brittany just shook her head at her friend's randomness that she had grown accustom to over the span of their lives.

"So, what did you two chat about while I was getting ready?" Brittany asked with a smirk. She knew it was nearly impossible to keep Rachel quiet. So they had to have been discussing something of substance for them both to be quiet when she walked in.

"Nothing really, just looking at your old pictures on your wall, that's about it."

Brittany spun around to face the pictures and it dawned on her which picture they must've been talking about.

"Any questions for me?" Brittany asked as she sat next to Santana.

"Did you love him?" Santana asked. Brittany smiled softly.

"I was a teenager. I didn't even know what love was," Brittany answered confidently. "I feel like that era in my life is so far in the past."

"Yeah?" Santana questioned hesitantly.

Brittany leaned in slowly and waited a moment, locking her eyes with Santana's. "Yes," she whispered against Santana's lips before kissing her gently. Santana smiled before pulling away. "I'm enjoying everything that's been happening, _recently_," Brittany emphasized with a nudge to Santana's shoulder.

"So am I," Santana laughs lightly before pulling Brittany in for a quick kiss. "By the way," she paused as she placed another kiss to Brittany's neck. Brittany tilted her neck to the side. "You look absolutely adorable and sexy in that outfit," she smiled into another kiss before standing up abruptly. Brittany pushed herself back onto the couch and groaned. They had to stop ending their mini-make out sessions like this.

"What are we gonna do today?" Brittany asked as she slowly pulled herself off the couch.

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><p>.<p>

_**Second half in the afternoon before work ;)**_

_**Love you guys for being patient. Not gonna lie, I lost some inspiration for a while (mostly due to classloads and work) but I feel like I have a progressive storyline coming up.**_

_**But leave your feedback/approvals/disgruntles for me to see and incorporate to the next chapters.**_

**_heyaislove (tumblr)_**


	17. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

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><p>"These tickets better not have cost a lot of money," Brittany threatened as she took her seat in the lower level of the ballpark.<p>

"Not that it matters," Santana teased. "But I didn't actually have to spend anything, so there," she replied, sticking her tongue out in victory.

Santana thought it would be fun for the two to spend some time at a baseball park. She spent many summer days of her youth watching games with her family and thought sharing that experience with Brittany would be a nice way to get to know each other.

As for Brittany, she couldn't remember if she had ever even watched a baseball game for more than a few minutes her whole life. She didn't really understand the appeal of striking out multiple times and running around the bases. She had also seen multiple movies showing fans getting hit by foul balls and decided that although she was sure the game was fun, she had no interest in sporting a black eye or broken nose for a game she wasn't even playing.

So when Santana suggested they go see a game, Brittany wasn't sure how great her company would be. However, the smile she received once she agreed to go was worth many future sporting events.

"I have a feeling that we are going to be competing often with who gets the most swag," Brittany joked.

"I'll have you know we get discounts here and there, but there are many places that like to charge us extra, if not deny service altogether," Santana retorted. Brittany rolled her eyes. "It happens, I shit you not! Some places hate cops!"

"Whatever," Brittany giggled. "I'd have a hard time believing someone would refuse you service."

"Oh yeah? She asked intrigued. "Why's that?" Brittany laughed.

"Have you looked at yourself?" Santana blushed. "I'm just saying!"

"Nah," Santana shook her head. "Some are pretty rude. But you're right, it's probably because of all this," she joked, gesturing to her body.

Brittany pushed her playfully. "So how did you get these?" she asked, holding the tickets up.

"Let's just say I am not always so mean to the people I pull over. Not that they were _offered_ as a bribe out of a ticket, but they definitely weren't going to waste," she winked.

"Wow, I wouldn't have taken you as the type to accept things like that. Isn't there some moral code against stuff like that?" Brittany teased.

Santana laughed again. "Well yeah, of course, but just think of it this way. We could have paid for these tickets, or had to miss the game since I didn't already have them, and then we'd surely have nothing to do."

Brittany raised an eyebrow and leaned close. "Oh, I'm sure we could've found something to do," she whispered. Santana's eyes widened as she pondered the truth to that statement. "So, who are we rooting for?" Brittany asked excitedly, ignoring the dopey face next to her.

Judging by the tickets in her hand, the Dodgers were hosting the Giants. She didn't really know many other baseball teams besides the Red Sox, Yankees, and the Indians since her father was such a huge follower back in Ohio.

"The Dodgers are the home team, so many will cheer for them today." Brittany nodded. "But I'm a Cubs fan, so I'd prefer if the dodgers lost."

"The Cubs huh?" Brittany teased. "Are they winning first place?"

"Not quite. They are playing good, and are in second place in their division. But, right now the Dodgers are in second place behind San Diego in their own division. So, if they lose, and the Cubs keep winning, then the Cubs will make the playoffs in the wild card spot," she rambled, Brittany looking more confused as she explained. She chuckled and sipped on her soda.

"What's so funny?" Brittany pouted playfully. "Is my lack of baseball knowledge that noticeable and pathetic?"

"Aww, not at all. It's fine really," Santana assured her. "In fact, it's pretty cute."

Brittany narrowed her eyes. "How is it cute?" She questioned.

Santana grasped Brittany's hand in her own and smiled. "I like that I can geek out about my lame sports addiction and you sit here and not complain about it. And genuinely try to enjoy it although it may be something different and...boring."

"It's not boring!" Brittany insisted. "I never really understood the game when I was younger, mostly because I only watched things like football. But there's a lot to enjoy out here."

"Yeah?" Santana smirked.

Brittany winked at her. "Yeah! I mean, nice weather, cold drinks, and yummy hot dogs! Cool mascots dancing around. I see the appeal now, definitely more than I assumed."

"Anything else?" Santana hinted hopefully. Brittany grinned at her.

"Oh well of course the best part of it all..." She paused to lean in closer to Santana.

Santana smirked and leaned forward slightly, closing her eyes as she awaited soft lips to meet her own. She felt Brittany brush against her side. Confused as the missed contact, she opened her eyes and saw Brittany motioning for the cotton candy guy with a few dollars in her hand.

"What color cutie?" Brittany giggled as she watched Santana's slight pout form on her face.

"I'm ok, thanks though," Santana declined. "Not really a fan of that stuff."

"That's absurd! Everyone loves cotton candy!" Brittany argued, baffled at the idea of someone not enjoying the sugary treat.

Santana laughed as Brittany asked the guy for a mixed flavor. He handed her the cone wrapped in blue and pink webbing and accepted the money from Brittany before turning to help a family in the next section.

Santana turned from the game and watched Brittany enjoy her treat. Sensing eyes on her, Brittany turned her head and smiled.

"Sure you don't want any of this?" Brittany teased suggestively. If Santana didn't know better, she'd think Brittany meant something entirely other than the cotton candy. Brittany took a smaller piece of the blue side and held it towards Santana's mouth, waiting patiently. "It's really good. I bet you'll like it!"

Santana glanced around before leaning closer to take the piece into her mouth slowly, allowing some of the sugar to coat the tips of Brittany's fingers. Feeling quite confident, she pulled Brittany's hand even closer, choosing to remove the sugar with her own lips. Brittany's eyes widened with welcomed surprise. She didn't think Santana would be so daring, especially around such a large crowd.

Once Santana was satisfied that Brittany's fingers were free of any sugar particles, she pulled away and sighed playfully. "You were right, that is good."

Brittany, still in a daze, leaned forward and captured Santana's lips with her own. Santana moaned as she was so sure Brittany was the best thing she had ever tasted. _Wankyyyy_.

Realizing they were indeed in a very public place, one with many children, Brittany pulled away enough to rest her forehead to Santana's.

"You are unbelievable," she giggled breathlessly.

"I didn't do anything," Santana defended with her trademark smirk.

Brittany sat back in her seat to enjoy her snack while trying to figure out the action on the field.

.

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><p>Quinn sipped on her coffee as she took a look around the small café. She felt a calming presence from the room and could understand how easy it must be to work there. Having a daughter made it hard for her to find the time to get a job, especially with Puck's long shift hours. She longed for the little things she had missed out on- going to college, living on campus with fellow classmates, spending nights on end working on term papers and really seeing what type of future she would have planned. She wouldn't say she regrets the way her life has gone. She couldn't. But while Puck and Santana worked so much together, they formed a special type of bond that she was envious of.<p>

Where was her partner in crime so-to-speak? There's so much she still wants to do, but she had always wondered if that could ever be a viable option. She couldn't leave Beth to fend for herself. Especially after the events that happened earlier that day. And it would seem selfish to ask Puck to switch around his lifestyle so that she could do other things. That was one of the major factors of their breakup. Her mother had done so much for their family, and was hard at work that asking for her help would only make Quinn feel worse.

But she was in need of something different. Anything refreshing that could make her feel as if she served a bigger purpose. She's a great mother, and an amazingly supportive friend. There had to be more than that though. That's why she enrolled at USC. She wanted to experience something new and exciting. She had no idea she would enjoy schooling so much. The work didn't bother her at all. Considering she was a standout student in high school, the change of pace from being a mother to an able body willing to learn again felt amazing. It was a start to finding what she truly wanted out of her life, and she felt lucky to have met a group of people that accepted her life and befriended her.

She had given Rachel a call once everything at the apartment had calmed down. As stressful and scary as the event had been, she was grateful that she had an impartial friend to talk to. So when Rachel suggested they meet up at the coffee house in her apartment complex, Quinn expressed her gratitude before hanging up the phone to get ready. There was something about Rachel that made Quinn feel appreciated in ways that she had never felt before, not even from Puck or Beth. An obvious attraction to the girl was a no brainer, but she felt as if she had motivation to become something inspiring. It mostly stemmed from Rachel's ambition to become successful. They had met up a few times during the week and Quinn was in awe of the other girl's talent. There was no way Rachel wouldn't become a star one day.

"Lost in thought?" a voice broke into her thoughts. Quinn looked up at the source and smiled slightly. It was the barista. Her name tag read: Tina.

"Yeah, something like that," Quinn answered politely.

"Would you like more coffee?" Tina asked, noting the nearly empty mug on the table.

"That'd be great, thank you." Tina poured the scalding liquid in the cup and set the pot on the table. There weren't any other customers in the café at the moment and she was trying to get used to the atmosphere. Quinn smiled at the girl as she finished and introduced herself. "I'm Quinn."

"Tina," she laughed before motioning to her nametag. "But that's obvious."

"It's okay. Is it always this slow in here?" Quinn asked.

"I wouldn't actually know, this is my first day!" Tina shrugged.

"Hard to tell," Quinn complimented. "Are you new to the area?"

"Yes actually," Tina answered. "I just moved to Los Angeles. My boyfriend and I actually just moved into the apartments here."

"Oh wow, that's cool! A couple of my friends live here too. I'm actually meeting one of them here, her name is Rachel. She and her roommate Brittany work here part-time."

"Wow! Brittany is the one who got me the job. She helped me with some boxes I had and we decided to go out to lunch after."

"She's a sweetheart," Quinn said. "I met her last week in class and I'm so glad I did. I'm sure you two will get along great."

"Me too," Tina agreed. "So, Quinn, before I walked over, I noticed you had a very serious expression on her face. Do you mind me asking if you are okay?"

Quinn shrugged. "No, I'm okay. Thank you. I was just thinking about some things I want to try out. You want to sit down while you wait on the customers to stroll in?" she joked.

Tina nodded and sat across from Quinn. "What kind of things?"

"Well, I just enrolled at USC this semester. My ex and I had a baby when we were 18, so it's been really hard trying to do anything that is for me. So now that I've been on campus, and met some new friends, I wonder what kind of goals I want to set for myself. Realistic goals, especially since my daughter has started school."

"That's really cool that you decided to get back in school. It's hard for many people to even take a year off and go back."

Quinn thanked her. "It's always been something I wanted to pursue. I've thought about real estate, or law school. I even briefly thought about nursing school. But that could take a long time before I finished. It is really extensive training and I don't think I could with my daughter."

"At least you are thinking about anything at all! I am impressed," Tina complimented.

"Thanks," Quinn smiled before checking the time on her phone. "Rachel's running late as usual. So, Tina, what brings you and your boyfriend to Los Angeles?"

"Well, I had lived out of the country for a few years with my mother. I met my boyfriend, Artie, while vacationing in London. He's from Arizona, and recently graduated from college. He's pursuing his dream of being a director, so since I was itching to move back to the States, and we have been together for two years now, we thought it would be great to start our lives together here."

"That is so sweet!" Quinn gushed. She was a sucker for a good love story. Tina blushed and stood up from the booth.

"Well, it's been really nice talking to you, Quinn! I should get to cleaning before my replacement comes in," Tina said before grabbing a scratch piece of paper from her notepad and scribbling her number down. "I'd really love to introduce Artie to you all sometime! We should try and get together as a group one night!"

Quinn took the piece of paper from Tina. "That sounds wonderful!" Looking out the window, Quinn noticed Rachel walking up. "Oh, there's Rachel."

"Give her hell," Tina winked before stepping behind the counter.

Rachel set her stuff in the booth before sliding in. "Quinn, I am so sorry to keep you waiting. Kurt was taking forever to figure out what outfit he was going to choose for his audition. He's such a drama queen sometimes."

Quinn laughed. "Coming from Miss Gold Star herself?"

Rachel laughed along with her friend. She was used to her friends teasing her about her ambition. "So, how's Beth doing?"

"She's doing so much better now that she's realized that I love her too much to ship her off!" Quinn told her as she shook her head.

"I still can't believe that happened," Rachel commented. Quinn had explained over the phone about the misunderstanding. "Good for you though to keep her punishment to a minimum."

"Well, I mean she's only five. And, she didn't leave the building, so technically she wasn't breaking that rule," she sighed. "And we don't want to send the wrong messages, especially with concerns, so after school I'll be talking more to her about coming to me about things bothering her."

"So the park is still on for tomorrow afternoon?" Rachel asked.

"Most definitely," Quinn nodded. "I think it'll be just as nice for us adults to go out and enjoy a nice day."

"That's great," Rachel agreed. "And to help alleviate the stress you've gone through, I'd like to invite you to my show tomorrow night."

"Your show?!" Quinn asked. "Like a solo act?"

Rachel's smile weakened slightly. "Well, not exactly. It's actually just an open-mic night. But typically there's only a few that sign up, so I like to imagine those coffee addicts are all there to see me."

Quinn laughed lightly, knowing already in such a short time that her friend was such a diva. It wasn't overbearing as much as it was inspiring.

"Well, I'll be there! I'll just see which of my back-ups can watch Beth," Quinn winked.

"If anything, I'm willing to bet it'll be more of a fight of who watches her rather than who _has_ to," Rachel pointed out. "I'm jealous! Beth's got such an adoring fanbase already!" she teased.

.

* * *

><p>Santana followed Brittany grumpily towards <em>Glo<em>. Unfortunately for her, the Dodgers had won their game. The Cubs, she learned on the way back, had also lost pretty badly, so her mood had dropped. But, only slightly, since she still had Brittany to keep her company.

"Well, how many games are left in the season, San?" Brittany asked as she pulled the door open. Santana smiled at the gesture as she stepped inside first.

"Well, I think there's another 27 or 28 games left before the postseason," Santana answered.

"_Well_, then don't stop rooting for them yet!" Brittany reasoned, grabbing her hand again. "There's still a chance for them to win enough games that will help, even if the Padres win their division. Why is a team called the "Fathers" anyways?"

Santana laughed loudly. She never thought about it that way. Squeezing Brittany's hand lightly, she shrugged. "So, what else can we get into today? Is Rachel upstairs?"

Brittany led her towards the café. "I don't think so. She's usually busy all day with everything she's got going on." She looked down at her watch and saw it was 5:30. "We should be alone for at least…another three hours."

Santana liked that idea. "So, no ninja upstairs, no ninja in the coffee shop, and no more missing child…I feel like luck is in our favor today!"

"You're silly," Brittany commented before stepping up to the counter. She saw Tina and Emma discussing something on the register, so she waited while they finished. Santana leaned her back against the counter so she could face Brittany. "Thank you for the game today."

"You're welcome, Britt," Santana smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." She leaned and kissed Brittany lightly.

"Ahem," a voice from behind the counter rang. Santana pulled away and straightened herself. She wasn't one to be nervous about others seeing her being affectionate, but as an officer, she learned that certain situations can be uncomfortable to others.

"Hey San, I want you to meet my new friend. She just moved here!" Brittany told her. Santana looked up from the top she was adjusting when she noticed exactly who she was being introduced to. "This is Ti…"

"TINA!"

Tina focused her eyes as she realized that none other than Santana Lopez, the girl with no fear who saved her life was standing in front of her.

Brittany scrunched her eyebrows at Santana as it was unclear how they would know each other.

"Santana?" Tina spoke out.

And all of a sudden, it clicked in Brittany's mind, her eyes widening as she remembered the story Santana told her the first day they met.

.

..

...


End file.
